This is our ninth year building a team who can build a robot. Our team demonstrated our robot to Crittenden Middle School located in Newport News, VA. It was the 7th and 8th graders science career day. Our team also demonstrated the robot to Christopher Newport University’s Lifelong Learners in November of this year. When a former student from Smithfield High school was told they would not have a bus to bring him to our school this year he decided to stay at his home school. Our public relations mentor suggested that he look on as a mentor this year and start a rookie team next year. He borrowed our robot from last year and since he had given a demonstration earlier in the year, he gave a presentation at Smithfield High and now has 24 students signed up for next school year and we already have located some materials for their team. The team is also mentoring Hampton Roads Academy (HRA) this year to help them find out what FIRST is all about. They are excited and we invited them to come with us to watch the kickoff on NASA television at the Hampton Air and Space Center. The team has done demonstrations at the Air and Space Center and they graciously agreed to let us view the kickoff on their large screen television. The HRA has an interested parent who is willing to mentor the team next year. His name is Colonel Scott Borges. They are an extended part of our team this year along with Smithfield High School and are planning on going to the Richmond Regional at VCU. We mentioned that they were invited to attend our annual mock competition hosted by our mentor Tom Finley. We invited Norfolk Vocational’s team #345 from Norfolk , VA teachers Joy Young and Dr. Chevitz have participated before and brought some Ford representatives and parents to watch. We also had the participation of Virginia Beach ’s team #769 with Dianne Fincher as lead teacher last year. This year Diane informed me that Sid Rader, Technology Teacher is leading the team. We have had demonstrations for the Virginia State Fair. We had a proclamation given to our team by the Virginia Department of Education in Richmond, VA. The cities of Hampton and Newport News have both given our students of those localities proclamations in our team’s honor as well as a New Horizon's NASA Knights month of May of 2002! We were truly honored. We demonstrated at Epes Elementary School and now have a Lego League with them. Our students were honored by being mentioned in a taped presentation for Lego League to rookie teams in Richmond this past year as the excitement behind the Epes team last year from the teacher/coach Mr. Scott Dean. We demonstrated at Crittenden and then had six middle school students on the team, one of which now attends a Newport News High School and will be returning next year, Marydawn Bieckert. We demonstrated at the Tucker Capps Elementary school and brought information from the FIRST web site to their school. We have brought FIRST documentation, our scrap book, and Lego League documentation with us to the following areas: Minor League Peninsula Pilots opening day baseball game and Hampton Christian Academy High School of Hampton, Va. Mrs. Daye who was the principal of the high school but now is the principal for their Middle School now wants us to help mentor their team for Lego League next school year! When we brought the robot to Toano Middle School in Williamsburg and we allowed a few of the students to drive “Excalibur”, our robot, around the gym. We helped mentor the Jamestown High School robotics team along with a mentor from NASA Langley. For three consecutive years we have performed demonstrations for NASA Career Days. The Daily Press, a local newspaper has captured the team at several events to include Seafest, (sponsored by over 40 local businesses registered with the Better Business bureau), Northrop Grumman Shipyard, Local School Board meetings in Hampton, Yorktown, and Newport News. Many of the students who helped demonstrate our robot and spread the message of FIRST have gone on to college, the work environment, or to the service. Each has stated that their experience has changed their life. Eddie Drummond from Newport News said, “I am now taking electronics and engineering courses in the navy due to my experience with the Navy team at the Drexel University competition. They helped me answer questions I had about the service and I can still contribute to a FIRST team which is what I really wanted to do.” Nishaat Isamail, a student from Tabb High School in Yorktown wrote “robotics enables students to have real life experiences with new technology while interacting with professionals of the community.” Carol Winbush, now attending VCU’s School of Engineering wrote, “It made me look at engineering and electronics for women. I never thought of it before and now I am actually doing it. I wish even more women would get involved and I hope that I can help to inspire them to do so!”
Team #122