OVERVIEW OF TEAM 1635

Newtown High School is an urban public school located in Elmhurst Queens. Since 1897 the school has been open to those whom are determined and wish to learn, innovate and create. The Newtown Technotics, whom have participated in the FIRST Robotics competition for the last ten years, are an example of this. This group of teens incorporate the ideals and principles of the school every day. They are eager to learn more about what it is they specialize in whether it be electrical work, mechanical, programming or design. These team members go out of their ways not only to learn more about their specialized subject but to go beyond that and learn other skills. These individuals seek to innovate. They look for the “Next Big Thing” and are in the search to find something revolutionary. The Technotics brainstorm ideas to one another, working together in order to invent what best they can. These Newtown teens create beyond set limits. They create a design, they construct the final product but most importantly they create strong ties. Despite the fact that we come from many different countries and speak various languages, we come together to achieve greatness under the common love for science and technology. This love transcends into the several awards we have received in these past 10 years.

Our Team

Gus Macheras
Lead Mentor
As an implementation engineer at Alliance Bernstein, he spends his time with the team to make sure we do as best as we can. At his job, he is always solving problems on a daily basis and is always enthusiastic to contribute any ideas to help the team further develop a robot. He claims, “My job here teaches me of responsibility, organizing and managing time.” When asked about his experience, he claims that it is very rewarding. He is a great mentor and our team is very grateful to have him.

Bogdan Bradu
Lead Programming Mentor
As Development manager at Alliance Bernstein, he is the major source behind our programming team. When asked about his experience here he stated, " It's a rewarding experience to see young people excited about technology." He claims to have a newly-found value of management. Here he gets to use all of his acquired skills to shape those whom will pursue a career in that which he mentors us in.

Peter Paolino
Mentor
Assistant Principal of the Engineering Aces Small Learning Community at Newtown High School and a professor in Queens Borough Community College, Peter Paolino is one of the founding members of team 1635. Between teaching and making sure his students are benefiting from all the programs offered at Newtown High School, he tries to spend as much time as possible helping the team. We are very grateful to have him not only as a mentor but as a teacher as well.

Richard Poganik
Mentor
Richard Poganik is another one of the founding members of team 1635. He teaches tech related courses in the Engineering Aces SLC such as; SolidWorks, Network Cabling, Career & Finacial Management, and much more. In his spare time, he helps out the team not only building but thinking up ideas that can help improve on our designs. We are very grateful to have him as a mentor and a teacher as well.

Madelyn Gonzalez
Lead Coach
Ms. Gonzales is the backbone of team 1635. Her hard work in Newtown High School goes unnoticed, every now and then, but our team will always remember the sacrifices she made. When the team needed more time to work in school, or team members needed transportation to competitions, she went above and beyond what was asked in every situation. When asked about the team, she responded “The team has been working very hard. All the students are developing technical, academic and content skills as well as work readiness, college and career readiness, interpersonal and soft skills. They are forming a bond and are learning from each other's cultures. We have become a family. It is priceless to see students applying what they learn in the Engineering courses into a final product.” We are very grateful for everything she has done for the team and school. She will always have a special place not only in the team but in our hearts as well.

Qing Tian Chen
Former Team Captain

Chrys Sanchez
Former Team Captain

Michael Guerra
Former Team Member

 

Ashley Ortega
Co-Captain
Head Electrical & Business Team

Ajmain Naqib
Captain
Lead Design and Website Team, Media Team

 

Erik Peregrina
Co-Captain
Mechanical, Inventory Team

Jing Wei Li
Head Programmer, Media Team

Christopher Barran
Lead Mechanical Team, Inventory Team

Eric Hu
Electrical, Battery Team

Simranjeet Singh
Programming Team

Faez Farhad
Electrical and Media Team

Brendan Le
Mechanical Team

Ronal Orrego
Mechanical Team

Darren Zhou
Mechanical and Battery Team

Basit Balogun
Design Team

Luke Masiglat
Mechanical Team

Miguel Cruz
Programming Team

Alexander Lanciani
Mechanical Team

Alex Veliz
Mechanical Team

Brian Parra
Electrical Team

Minhazur Rahman
Mechanical Team

Tenzin
Electrical Team

Angeline Torres
Enthusiast