KWHS has a exceptional opportunity to create a FIRST Robotics Team this year with a grant awarded to Kensington Woods High School to cover the cost of building a robot and competing in two Statewide competitions. The FIRST Robotics season starts in the fall with identifying interested students, getting commitments from parents and or teachers to lead and supervise the project and getting all the details in order to assemble a team and prepare for building the robot in January and then competing in the spring.
The ideal FIRST Robotics team has 17-25 students and at least five adult volunteers, ideally some with a background in engineering, metal work and fabricating and all of the knowledge of safety in working with complex machinery that goes with those skills. Because KWHS has a smaller student population than other schools we will be competing against, we have invited Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy to join forces with Kensington Woods High School to put together a FIRST Robotics Team this year.
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) describes its program in the following way:
"The varsity sport for the mind," FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It's as close to "real-world engineering" as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.
As part of FRC, students:
· Learn from professional engineers
· Build and compete with a robot of their own design
· Learn and use sophisticated software and hardware
· Compete and cooperate in alliances and tournaments
· Earn a place in the World Championship
· Qualify for over $12 million in college scholarships
The FIRST Robotics season is November through April. Being on the team will be an extensive time commitment for students, minimally 10 hours a week attending 3 work sessions each week. For the adult coaches, the time commitment will depend on the number of parents who volunteer.
More information about FIRST Robotics can be found at the website. If you are interested in helping build this team, or would like to know more about FIRST Robotics at KWHS, please contact Mr. Perry by Monday, November 1st at jperry@kwoods.org or 517-545-0828.
