Bucksport readies ‘Big Roman’ for robot competition

After notching season’s first win, students get busy tweaking their robot for next match

Bucksport High School junior Madi Robinson works on changing out the wheels on “Big Roman.” Photo by Emily Baer.

March 11, 2026

By Emily Baer

By late afternoon, Bucksport High School has usually gone quiet, its halls largely empty. But in a workshop at the back of the building, there’s still a buzz — literally — where Robotics Team 6329 gathers to build, test and fine-tune their machines.

At a table at the front of the shop, a group of students is working on dismantling and rebuilding robot wheels while others talk about coding or securing team sponsorships. Power tools hum and 3-D printers whine in the busy shop. 

The team competed in their first competition of the season in Falmouth on March 8 and they came home victorious. The excitement is palpable.

“We probably have about 30 kids on the team,” said John Boynton, one of the team’s faculty mentors. Boynton, a math teacher at the school who has worked alongside Mike Gross, another mentor, with the team for 10 years. In that time, the team has experienced tremendous growth and success. 

Just last year, the team won various state matches, took second place in the New England Championships, and made their way to the World Championships in Texas, where they came in eighth place. 

“Roman,” now renamed “Big Roman,” notched its first win of the season on March 8. Photo by Emily Baer.

In the robotics world, Bucksport’s team #6329 is famous. And it’s hard not to feel some degree of pressure to live up to what they’ve already accomplished, team members say.

“The hope is always to win at least one event,” Boynton said. “And we’ve already won, which was really nice. After that, it’s really just getting back to Worlds.”

Every year, the team designs and builds a new robot. The students are responsible for all aspects of preparing it for competition, including writing the code that controls what each part of the robot does.

In Falmouth, the Bucksport team won with a robot named Roman, a zippy machine that scoops up balls on the competition floor and shoots them into a container in rapid succession. The robot is part Roomba vacuum cleaner, part zero-turn lawn mower, spinning on a dime. The team has a video (below) of Roman in action. 

Now, with the clock ticking, the team is embarking on an ambitious new phase to build on its early success. 

They’re rebuilding the robot.

“This new one is called Big Roman,” said junior Madi Robinson. Robinson serves as a build and design lead for the team and has been a member since she arrived at BHS. “It’s similar but it’s bigger but it will be really intentionally designed.”

In order to improve on their original design, the team is constantly sharing new ideas and information, said junior Izzy McSharry, the driver of the robot.

“Now that the first competition is over, we can look at other teams and see what they’re doing,” McSharry said. “We’re always trying to see what we could do better.”

Part of the team’s success is the sense of community and camaraderie that Boynton and Gross foster.

“Being on the team is sort of like being in a family,” Robinson said. In addition to building and competing, the team gathers for social events and bonding activities.

“We’re always trying to see what we could do better,” says Bucksport High School junior Izzy McSharry. Photo by Emily Baer.

All of that helps create an environment where continual improvement is the norm. Trying, failing, and trying again is par for the course.

“It's kind of like a Socratic seminar where everyone gives input the whole time,” Robinson said.

That constant reinvention is a critical part of success. Just like in sports, the more you win, the more formidable the opponents at the next competition.

“The first competition was hard,” McSharry said. “In a couple of weeks we’ll go to Vermont for our second competition and the teams will be much more advanced.”

With the momentum of their first win under their belts, McSharry and Robinson feel hopeful about their chances this season.

“It’s early,” Robinson said. “It’s very early, but our design is really intentional. We’re excited.”