Competing with robots isn't the only part of being an FRC Team. We also do outreach in our area to promote the ideals, interest in and knowledge of STEM. Performing outreach is a part of the Chairman's Award, the most prestigious award given by FIRST. The Chairman's Award honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate, and best embodies FIRST's mission. It was created to keep the central focus of FIRST Robotics Competition on the ultimate goal of transforming the culture in ways that will inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology, as well as encouraging more of today’s youth to become science and technology leaders.
Diversity/Inclusion
Our team strives to be an inclusive team with a family-like environment. The parents and mentors put in a lot of time and effort to support us and help us be an inclusive team. There is always a job and place for anyone on the team. Our team also hosts team-bonding activities frequently to form even closer bonds between members. Our team also has high female and minority participation, with the leadership being made up of 55% females.
Outreach
We run many programs for younger kids in our community to spread knowledge and love of STEM and robotics. Annually, we run a STEM Camp for students of Hickory Tree School, as well as one for fifth grade students at a few schools in our area. At each STEM Camp, we spend each day guiding the students through activities to teach them basic principles of STEM and engineering. Our team also mentors two FLL teams at Ridgecrest Intermediate School; 30713, the Raider Rovers, and 30714, the Buccaneer Bots.
In 2017, Team 2637 began to spread FIRST values to our immediate and surrounding community. After so many years of being supported, we wanted to take initiative to give back and grow the STEM in our area. Listed below are some of the events that we have done over the past two years.
School:
School:
- Gold Ribbon Award: Team 2637 helped our school earn the Gold Ribbon Award for Excellence in Engineering
- Participated in school wide pep rallies
- Increased the number of available STEM classes. Since the institution of our robotics team, we have gained classes like:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Science AP
- Computer Science Principles AP
- Digital Electronics
- Technology Science Association
- And more!
- Created and mentored 2 FLL teams
- Fleet Week: we honor our veterans and participate in a mock FRC competition to spread FIRST values to the greater community
- Girls Who Code and Hour of Code for students in our school district
- Mentored a local VEX team
- STEM Camps for 4 different elementary schools in our district
- STEM Symposium: Our team visits the local mall to inform students in the surrounding area about engineering and FIRST
- STEM camps in Korea and Mexico
- Helped FRC Teams 7626 and 7637, Taiwanese teams
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