FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an extra curricular program where students design and build a robot within a set period of time to compete at two regional competitions. Construction, programming and promotion teams of students, staff, mentors and parents collaborate to produce winning results and awards every year.
Runnymede’s Robotics, Team 1310, is part of FIRST ROBOTICS which was created by Dean Kaman (inventor of the segway, portable dialysis machine and much more). He believed that the best way to prepare for the future was to teach the people of the future, the science of the future, robotics.
He had a dream!
where little boys
and little girls
will join hands together with wires and wrenches
and create a world where we can worked together
without the idea of winners and losers!
In FIRST robotics you spend six intense weeks with 50 other students, to design, program and build a robot to play a specific game and you compete against hundreds of students at regional competitions. If your team wins a regional you are invited to the world championships in St. Louis. The game changes every year so new teams have a fair chance. Don’t worry, FIRST doesn’t just throw metal and electronics at you and tell you to make a robot. You are supported and led by dedicated and knowledgeable teachers and mentors that are there with you every step of the way. Even though the teams compete against each other, the students and mentors from other teams are more than willing to lend a helping hand during the six week build period. At competition, teams play 10-11 qualifying matches in alliances or three. Your alliance changes every match! So, if you were alliance with one team in one match, you may be going up against them in another. This is what FIRST calls “coopertition”.
Robotics is not just about robots, it’s about problem solving, creativity and spirit! It’s mostly about teamwork! Being together and working together towards one goal. It’s here where we learn not only the skills and knowledge of a new science but the values of teamwork, commitment, and the power of a shared dream. We face many situations, from failures to success, from frustration to biss, which test us as individuals and as a team. The future is uncertain and it always will be. Even though we partake in the world of robotics now, years from now many of us may not achieve fame nor are we guaranteed to remain in the field of robotics. However, with the values and life lessons we learn within our robotics team, we can make the future a brighter place.
Runnymede Robotics is one of the largest and one of the best teams in the GTA. Runnymede is a small school and everyone here is like a family! We have a large team and an even larger support system. We all work extremely hard to put the best robot we possibly can on the field. We have improved a great deal in the past 3 years and intend on going to the championships soon! Robotics is one of the most unique, inspirational and innovative clubs you can join at Runnymede. Its exhilarating and most of all, its extremely fun.
- Lisa Ramraj and Kevin Nguyen