The newly renovated FTC Lab at Mount de Sales Academy is ready for the AutoCAVS as they prepare for the FIRST Tech Challenge.

[Macon, Georgia] – Catholic private school, Mount de Sales Academy, located in Macon, Georgia, is premiering the school’s robotics team, the AutoCAVs, as a part of Mount de Sales’ commitment to furthering student opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The AutoCAVs, whose name is a play on computer-aided design, or CAD, software, will compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge run by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). 

“We want our kids to get this early exposure to engineering, coding, and robotics,” said Mount de Sales Middle School Division Head Kaylee Freeman, who is leading this effort. “With our three coaches, they could start to surpass our own knowledge. They have extensive experience in their fields that will allow them to show these kids STEM applications in real life.”

The team, which is open to sixth- through twelfth-grade students, is led by three volunteer coaches from the Mount de Sales community: Head Coach Chris Wilcox, an engineer at Raytheon, Assistant Coaches Dusty Frasioli, cybersecurity engineer at Raytheon, and Jake Grismore, Director of Operations at Mount de Sales Academy and alumnus from the class of 2012.

Students who participate in AutoCAVs will gain valuable experience in engineering and computer science, as well as practical skills that can be applied to any career field, such as leadership, project management, problem-solving, critical thinking, public speaking, and teamwork.

“We are offering our students real-life experience in a school setting,” Freeman said. “The coaches are there to guide them and act as mentors, but everything is student-led. They will be coming up with their own solutions and learning from their own mistakes.”

A dedicated robotics space, the FTC Lab, has been assembled for the AutoCAVs to work out of. A large photo mural on the wall shows Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, a project Mount de Sales alumnus Allen Butler, from the class of 2011, took part in. The team’s motto, “Challenged to Innovate,” is written alongside the photo. This space is made possible by a generous anonymous donation.

Investment in the AutoCAVs reinforces the importance of experiential learning at Mount de Sales, recognizing the contributions of past alumni, donors, and faculty who have helped current students to reach new heights. 

About Mount de Sales Academy

Mount de Sales Academy, an independent Catholic school established in 1876 and sponsored and inspired by the Sisters of Mercy, is a Christ-centered college preparatory community of learners who are poised to discover, challenged to innovate, and motivated to serve. www.mountdesales.net