Youth Robotics Programs in DC, MD, VA - FIRST Rob

"I love teaching the advancements of today’s technology and watching the students grasp and run with the knowledge." ~DeAndre', Team 1610 mentor

Thank you for being a part of our FIRST community!

On January 4, 2020 we kicked off the 2020 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). Thanks to VCU School of Engineering for hosting, and to InSource Solutions for sponsoring, the event. Thanks also to all of the teams who traveled and came out to make the Kickoff a celebration.

Since our last report, the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) 2019-2020 competition season is underway, with more events to come in January and February 2020. The FTC Championship sponsored by Capital One will be held on February 22 at Atlee High School. All FIRST Chesapeake FRC and FTC qualifiers and championships are free and open to the public.

Here are some highlights:

• In December 2019 FIRST Chesapeake received over 50 applications for the second annual Reaching for the Stars: Women in STEM Scholarships sponsored by Dominion Energy. Three outstanding young women associated with FIRST teams were selected to receive scholarships which will be presented at the second annual Women in STEM Breakfast sponsored by Rolls-Royce and hosted at the UVA Darden Conference Center in Arlington, Virginia.

• FIRST Chesapeake launched its inaugural Alumni Ambassador Program sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton. Twenty Alumni Ambassadors will serve as the 2020 cohort of this pilot program which is designed to inspire FIRST alumni to remain engaged as volunteers, mentors, and advocates and to train for more complex volunteer roles. Each Ambassador who completes the requirements of the program will be eligible for a $1,000 team grant to a FIRST team of their choice. Team grants are also sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton. We are excited about this pilot program and look forward to introducing the 2020 Alumni Ambassador cohort at events throughout the season.

• The 2020 FRC District Championship sponsored by Newport News Shipbuilding will be held at Hampton Coliseum April 3-5, 2020. This will be the largest ever FIRST Chesapeake District Championship with 80 teams competing on two fields. Join us for a weekend of exciting robotics competition and help us celebrate “STEMinsula on the Peninsula,” presented in partnership with Hampton Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mariners’ Museum, and Virginia Living Museum.

• Upcoming FIRST Chesapeake Scheduled 2020 Events
• Jan 18- FTC Orange Qualifier (Prospect Heights Middle School- Orange, VA)
• Feb 22- FTC Virginia Championship sponsored by Capital One (Atlee High School- Mechanicsville, VA)
• Feb 28- Mar 1- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Haymarket VA Event (Battlefield High School- Haymarket, VA)
• Mar 6-8- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Richmond VA Event sponsored by Dominion Energy (Arthur Ashe Athletic Center- Richmond, VA)
• Mar 6-8- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Bethesda MD Event (Walt Whitman High School- Bethesda, MD)
• Mar 13-15- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Owings Mills MD Event (McDonough School- Owings Mills, MD)
• Mar 13-15- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Portsmouth VA Event (Churchland High School- Portsmouth, VA)
• Mar 20-22 FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Edgewater MD Event (South River High School, Edgewater, MD)
• Mar 20-22 FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Blacksburg VA Event (Blacksburg High School- Blacksburg, VA)
• Apr 2-5 FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Championship Sponsored by Newport News Shipbuilding (Hampton Coliseum- Hampton, VA)

We are always glad to welcome new volunteers—whether your skills are technical or not, all are needed, and we would love for you to join us for the 2019-2020 season. A qualifying tournament in the FIRST Robotics Competition or the FIRST Tech Challenge can require up to 100 volunteers each day. The Championships need more than 120 volunteers, both technical and non-technical, per day. For more details visit https://www.firstchesapeake.org/volunteer.

As always, we appreciate the support of individuals, foundations, and corporations who help us continue to do what we do best—building tomorrow’s technology leaders, today.

Links:

• FIRST Chesapeake Website

• FCImpactNumbersFY20.pdf (PDF)