History & Awards


Our team was founded in 2004 with the help of two students, one who transferred to Montgomery from Hillsborough and another who transferred to Montgomery from Bound Brook. Both students helped spark interest in what would later become the Robotics Team: FIRST Team 1403 Cougar Robotics.

We had full support of our school board, the Vice Principal Mr. Clymer, and Mr. Kloberg, a senior mentor of FIRST robotics. Our team kicked off its first year in great success, receiving numerous accolades at regional competitions and earning the opportunity to go to the World Championships. In the 2005 and 2006 seasons, we were advised by Mr. O’Toole. In 2007, our current MHS technology education teacher Mr. Leicht took on the role of Team Advisor.

Our team has greatly transformed since 2004. In the beginning, the robot was mostly built by professional engineers, but now, our team’s devotion to educating the newer members has created an environment where the students do the vast majority of the work on the robot themselves.

 

We share our main goal with the founder of FIRST, Dean Kamen, which is to, “put engineering, science, technology into a format of healthy, fun competition, we can attract all sorts of kids that might not see the kind of activity we do as accessible or rewarding.” Achieving this goal will help future leaders reach success in these areas and give our country a prosperous future.

To realize these goals, our team encourages commitment, teamwork, and the education of members. We also advocate hard work in order to do well in FIRST Robotics Competition Events. We believe that competition allows us to learn from our mistakes and understand the ideas of others. With strong goals and views for the future, Team 1403 certainly has made a huge impact in educating the youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and will continue doing so. Members of each of our sub-teams are expected to work together in building the best robot which completes the required tasks. Through hard work and dedication, every team hopes to win competitions and eventually visit the White House to show their hard work to the nation’s current leader

We also look to inspire the younger generation to develop genuine interests in science and technology using various outreach events where we demonstrate engineering to students and children. At these events, we share the joys of learning about science and technology by letting children play with VEX robots we have built. We also educate parents and community members about the message of FIRST.





Awards Won


YearEventAward
2004New Jersey RegionalHighest Rookie Seed
Rookie All Star Award
2005Buckeye RegionalRegional Finalists
Xerox Creativity Award
2007New Jersey RegionalRegional Engineering Inspiration Award

Boston RegionalMotorola Quality Award
2008New Jersey RegionalRegional Engineering Inspiration Award
2009Philadelphia RegionalChrysler Team Spirit Award
2010New Jersey RegionalRegional Chairman’s Award

New York City RegionalCreativity Award sponsored by Xerox
2011Philadelphia RegionalEngineering Excellence Award sponsored by Delphi
2012Rutgers University FIRST Robotics District CompetitionQuality Award sponsored by Motorola
Regional Finalist

Mount Olive FIRST Robotics District CompetitionQuality Award sponsored by Motorola
Regional Finalist
2013Hatboro-Horsham FIRST Robotics District CompetitionEngineering Inspiration Award

Virginia RegionalEngineering Excellence Award sponsored by Delphi

Lenape Seneca FIRST Robotics District CompetitionIndustrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors

Mid-Atlantic Robotics FRC Region ChampionshipRegional Finalist
2014MAR FIRST Robotics Mt. Olive District CompetitionFinalist
Quality Award sponsored by Motorola

MAR FIRST Robotics Bridgewater-Raritan District CompetitionQuality Award sponsored by Motorola
2015MAR District – Hatboro-Horsham EventDistrict Event Finalist
Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors

MAR District – Bridgewater- Raritan EventDistrict Event Winner
Quality Award sponsored by Motorola

Mid-Atlantic Robotics District ChampionshipIndustrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors
2016MAR District – Mt. Olive EventInnovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation

MAR District – Bridgewater-Raritan EventJudges’ Award

MAR District – Montgomery EventDistrict Chairman’s Award

Mid-Atlantic Robotics District ChampionshipFIRST Championship District Points Qualifying Team (Championship Qualifying)
2017MAR District – Mount Olive EventDistrict Event Finalist

MAR District – Montgomery EventGracious Professionalism Award sponsored by Johnson & Johnson

FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship sponsored by Johnson and JohnsonVolunteer of the Year
2018MAR District Mount Olive EventJudges’ Award

MAR District Montgomery Event Quality Award sponsored by Motorola Solutions Foundation

FIRST Mid-Atlantic District ChampionshipFIRST Dean’s List Finalist Award
Gracious Professionalism Award sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
2019FMA District Mount Olive EventDistrict Chairman’s Award
FMA Donald Bowers Inspiration Award

FMA District Bridgewater-Raritan EventDistrict Event Winner
Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers

FMA District Montgomery EventDistrict Event Finalist
Quality Award sponsored by Motorola Solutions Foundation

FIRST Mid-Atlantic District ChampionshipRegional Chairman’s Award (Championship Qualifying)

FIRST Championship – Detroit – Archimedes SubdivisionGracious Professionalism Award sponsored by Johnson & Johnson (Championship Division)
2020FMA District Hatboro-HorshamDistrict Chairman’s Award
FMA Donald Bowers Inspiration Award
FIRST Mid-Atlantic District ChampionshipRegional Chairman’s Award
2021FIRST Mid-Atlantic Regional Level ChampionshipRegional Chairman’s Award
FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Level ChampionshipDistrict Chairman’s Award
Group IronInnovation Award Semifinalists