Students from Catholic Central’s robotics team, the Shambytes, recently held a battery drive to help properly dispose of old batteries. Over the course of a month, the team collected 200 pounds of used household batteries to help keep harmful waste out of landfills.

This project was led by Santiago Tovar ‘28, a student working to earn his Robotics Letter. He was supported by teammates Matthew Tedesco '28, Michael Smerage '28, Jack Starrak '28, and Andrew Williams ‘28.

Last year, the team ran a small battery drive at their robotics competitions, but this year they wanted to do more. With help from teachers and staff, the students invited the entire Catholic Central community to participate.

Here’s how they did it:

• Santiago asked school leaders for permission to place a battery collection bin in the front entryway.
• The team added a second bin outside Mrs. Amy Ely’s office.
• They made flyers and put them in science classrooms.
• They also promoted the drive on the school’s display screens.
• The team researched why batteries should be recycled and shared that information with students.

Tony Mazzocco, the team’s mentor, helped take the collected batteries to be recycled. The team also received support from their sponsor, DTE.

Once all the batteries were gathered and weighed, Santiago created a slide to show the results and thank everyone who helped.

This project was in support of the robotics program’s core principles of Impact and Teamwork, while aligning with the "G" in "Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge (GDK)," working together to do good work that results in a positive impact on our environment and our community.

The robotics team hopes to make the battery drive an annual event.