Team 230's History - Shelton High School Robotics Team 230 Gaelhawks

Team 230 was formed in 1998 by our founding mentors Mr. John Niski, Mr. Kerry Taylor, Mr. Lou Schmecker, and Mr. Richard Vogl. Team 230 was known as Team MAD back then, and went on to win a regional Rookie All-Star Award in 1999 with our robot Dr. Klaw. Our name was changed to “Gaelhawks” due to our close relationship with our first corporate sponsor, Sikorsky Aircraft. “Gaelhawk” is a combination of Shelton High School’s team mascot, the Gael and Sikorsky’s Blackhawk helicopter. In 2004, we began hosting the Shelton Qualifying Event for the FLL program. Our outreach success increased greatly in 2008 when our team helped rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina. Since then we continue to expand our outreach across the community to spread excitement for STEM. Our team faced its greatest challenge when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of the 2020 season, making it the first season to be put on hold. This resulted in canceled events and a major shift in the status quo of the Gaelhawks. Since then, we have not only recovered but have grown stronger, becoming a closer team that can overcome any setbacks.