GC parents help Garden City Library Rookie Robotics Team




From left to right: Lisa Paulo, GCPL Director; Barbara Grace, Children’s Librarian; Laura Giunta, Young Adult Librarian; Paul Debany, Cambridge Construction; Matt Wakeham, GCFS Executive Director-Elect

From left to right: Lisa Paulo, GCPL Director; Barbara Grace, Children’s Librarian; Laura Giunta, Young Adult Librarian; Paul Debany, Cambridge Construction; Matt Wakeham, GCFS Executive Director-Elect

Thanks to the generosity of the Garden City Library, and GC residents Paul Debany and Bill Scalchunes , several 6th graders in Garden City will be able to compete on their own FLL (FIRST Lego League) Robotics Team this season.

Librarians Laura Giunta and Barbara Grace have never coached a robotics team before. But that did not stop them from obtaining approval from the Library Administration and Board to sponsor a team so that more children could participate in this valuable program. And in true Garden City fashion, a few members of the community stepped in to help out.

Former Garden City High School graduate Paul Debany is very familiar with FLL. His son was a member of one of the first robotics teams to form in Garden City. Paul’s wife Jill Debany is a board member of Garden City Friends of STEM, and currently serves as the Secretary. Paul also helped out with the GCHS Robotics lab. Paul Debany built and hand delivered the large wooden table to the library where the new team will build their robot and practice programming missions for upcoming competitions. The Debanys won a robot at a GCFS fundraiser and will be donating it right back to a new FLL team.

Mr. Debany, a general contractor, is the owner of Cambridge Construction in Garden City. “I have been personally involved in this robotics program since the beginning several years ago and have seen how it benefits the students, I am happy to be able to help out our library here in town because they are doing a great thing for the community”, said Debany.

Ms. Giunta, the Young Adult Librarian said “I attended a Garden City Friends of STEM Stem Talk last year and learned about the value of FIRST robotics programs. Ms. Grace and I thought it would be a great program for us to offer young adults here at the library. Our Library administration and board members were very supportive and we are thrilled to be able to launch this new team. Mr. Debany made our table and even delivered it. Otherwise, we did not know how we were going to get a table”.

Ms. Grace, said “the tables have to be made to specifications and we did not have resources to do it. Garden City friends of STEM helped by bringing in Mr. Debany, they also helped us plan our season, and are providing us with a second robot through a donation by Bill Scalchunes”. Mr. Scalchunes, an engineer and Garden City resident, is also working with Farmingdale University to find robotics mentors for the rookie team and their new coaches so that they learn as much as possible. Mr. Scalchunes has also made a large donation to GCFS to be offered to the District so that the High School science department can have a state of the art fluoresence microscope.

Thank you to Mr. Scalchunes and Mr. Debany for their generosity and example of service to their community.

Come cheer on the new team and check our their new table on display at the library.

For more information about the library programs go to www.gardencitypl.org. For more information about GCFS go to www.GCFstem.org.


Leave a Reply