Teams from around the state will be competing in the FIRST in Michigan (FIM) Escanaba District Event today and Saturday at the Escanaba Jr/Sr High School. (Photo courtesy of Dawn Hammond)

ESCANABA — Michigan students are competing in the FIRST in Michigan (FIM) Escanaba District Event today and Saturday at the Escanaba Jr/Sr High School.

The event, presented by the Gene Haas Foundation, tasks high-schoolers across the state who are participating in FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) with building a robot and completing themed tasks each year.

Dozens of participating teams will be competing in the district event, including team 3602, known as the RoboMos from the Escanaba Jr/Sr High School; team 4391, the BraveBots from Gladstone High School; team 4835, the Junkyard Dawgz from Manistique Middle/High School; team 9733, the Gold Diggers from Iron Mountain High School; and more.

The event is set to kick off today at 8 a.m. with pit openings and inspections, which were also completed Thursday evening.

Opening ceremonies for the event will begin at 10:30 a.m., with qualification matches to follow. The full event schedule can be found at FIRST’s website, https://firstinmichigan.us/FRC/miesc/.

This year’s theme, “REBUILT”, integrates archaeology into the tasks, aiming to encourage students to utilize STEM skills while incorporating the past. Robots are tasked with collecting “fuel” — foam balls — crossing obstacles and climbing a tower.

Prior to this event, students have been competing in FRC events, traveling all throughout the state since the beginning of March.

In one competition, the BraveBots from Gladstone High School traveled to Belleville, Mich., to compete in their district event. 30 Gladstone students and their coach, Tim Barron, made the 430 mile-stretch from Gladstone to Belleville High School in March.

Upon the completion of the district events, the victorious teams will be invited to attend the state championship in Saginaw from April 16 through the 18. FIRST will also hold a world-wide championship in Houston, Texas, beginning April 29.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.