From Zero Activity to World Top: Kfar Saba Robotics Groups That Conquered the Israeli and US Championships
The 'Halom' association in Kfar Saba achieved a historic double at the Israeli Robotics Championship: The Falcons team won first place and ranked among the top 35 in the world in Houston, and the Skeleton Army #23644 team won the national championship and second place at the CRI competition in Chicago, with Think and Water Tower awards. The volunteer-based association grew from two active schools to dozens of teams.
The 'Halom' (Education for Technology and Science) association in Kfar Saba recorded an unprecedented year with a historic double win at the Israeli Robotics Championship in the two main age categories. The Falcons team from Alon Middle School won first place in the country and represented Israel at the international competition in Houston, where it ranked among the top 35 teams in the world. The city's high school team, Skeleton Army #23644, won the national championship and second place at the CRI competition in Chicago, defeating teams from the world's top 10, and won the Think Award for excellence in engineering and design and the Water Tower Award for resilience and determination. The success came after years in which only two schools operated in the field of robotics in the city, and there was no activity at all in high schools. The association, based on volunteering, was founded by Oded Shoham, a reserve colonel and engineer at 8200, and Guy Evron. Today it operates dozens of teams from elementary schools to the city's high school team. Shoham emphasizes the social importance: "My goal is that children will not be afraid of technology." Evron concludes: "We raised this from zero activity and became national champions in both categories." The association continues to seek volunteers and sponsors to expand its activities.