Congratulations Team!

FIRST Team 1625 was recently awarded an In Youth We Trust Grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.  This generous $1,650 grant will be used to enhance the team's "Lego, Slime, and Other Fun" summer camp for elementary and middle school students.

The funds will be used to purchase reusable electronics kits and other consumable supplies to expand and enhance the curriculum of our week-long day camp.

Special thanks to the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois for their support of this educational effort.  To learn more about CFNI's In Youth We Trust program, visit their website.

Thanks to all our family, friends, and community supporters who came out to the 'Bot Shop on a sunny Sunday afternoon to see Winnovation's 2012 robot in action.  The team was able to show off a fully functioning robot, putting the drive team, program, and mechanical systems through their paces.  Our friends from Belvidere, The Flaming Monkeys, FIRST Team 3352, were able to join us late in the afternoon to share some time on the practice field.

And, as if we weren't busy enough trying to finish the robot by end of day Tuesday, February 21, we sent two groups of students out for community education on Saturday, February 18.  Team members participated in the Discovery Center's annual Discover Engineering event (sponsored by Illinois Society of Professional Engineers).  Another set of students headed to the Students Involved in Technology conference and led interactive brainstorming workshops with elementary and middle school students.
We'll wrap up things at the shop Tuesday night as we finalize the robot for "ship" - we actually seal it in a huge plastic bag.  The team will take a few days off to catch up on sleep and homework before we start prepping for the Lake Superior Regional in Duluth, MN on March 9 - 10.

Winnovation Open House

FIRST Team 1625 will celebrate the end of build season with an open house.  Family, friends, sponsors, and the public are invited to join us.  

Stop by on Sunday February 19 between 2pm - 4pm to see this year's robot, learn about the challenges of Rebound Rumble, and wish the team well as we prepare for the Lake Superior and Midwest Regionals.

The Bot Shop is located just off the main drag in downtown Winnebago, IL at 110 N. Pecatonica (between Main and Bluff).  We're two blocks west of the Winnebago Public Library.  Email team1625@gmail.com for more information.

Refreshments will be served.  For safety, please wear close-toed shoes.

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It's 10pm, Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

If it's a Saturday night four weeks into build season and you're a Robot Parent, you do.  

My husband and I stopped by the shop last night to see what the kids were working on and to see if we could help with anything.  Many of the kids were at the basketball game since it was a "band night" so we were able to help a couple of the kids get parts ready for the rest of the team to work on after the game.

After the game 10 or 15 kids came back the shop and started working.  A little bit later, another half dozen other kids who weren't on the team stopped by to see what their friends were doing.  Next thing, a few more parents show up and a college-aged sibling who has been helping out walked through the door.

So at 10pm on a Saturday night six parents and mentors, 15 team members and some friends were hanging out machining parts, talking strategy, and chilling.  What a great way to spend the evening.

Then, a parent who doesn't have kids on the team saw the cars in the parking lot and stopped in to say hi, another set of parents stopped by with a fresh pan of peanut butter-chocolate rice krispy treats, and another mentor showed up with his night vision goggles to check out the robot's camera and lights.  Did I mention it was 10pm on a Saturday night?

And that's what build season is all about.