Robo Day 2021 in Pohnpei, Micronesia

Students from high schools across Pohnpei gathered in mid-April for “Robo Day 2021” to showcase their achievements in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

The young men and women from Pohnpei, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia, worked throughout the school year in preparation for the competition.

Robo Days culminate the school year long robotics league, which serves public and private students across all four Micronesian States.

Robotics offers Micronesian students a strong grounding in problem solving. It sparks learning by letting them experiment with ideas in real world situations.

The Robo League is student driven and responsive to learners’ interest. It engages students who might not think of themselves as “math and science types.”

Habele, a US nonprofit, organizes, equips and trains high schools in the Robo League. Habele was founded by former Peace Corps volunteers who taught in Micronesia. The nonprofit first introduced robotics to Micronesia in 2011.

Support from the US Government comes through the Office of Insular Affair, which provides technical assistance funding for development projects in Micronesia.

The US-FSM relationship is historically, strategically, and politically unique. Shared goals of regional openness and sustainable development are based on decades of common history and partnership.

Habele’s Robo League is building the knowledge and skills of future island leaders. These leaders will tackle complex multi-faceted challenges. At the same time, Habele is deepening the US-FSM partnership, ensuring those challenges can be faced as a team.

With elimination matches completed by mid afternoon, the field was slowly narrowed and the Pohnpei Robo Day winners were announced:

  1. Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School
  2. Calvary Christian Academy
  3. Pohnpei Island Central School