It's a brand new quarter and a brand new
newsletter!
And it's more fun than a suitcase full of horsehair.
3, 2, 1... Launch!
Everyone is excited about the new FIRST space theme! There is a lot of news
to share- Inaugural Scrimmage Event, Grant Announcements, Women in STEM Breakfast, Dean's List, Events Calendar,
and more- whew
!!
So hold on to your jetpack-
a
nd keep reading for these topics
and more.
And please pass this newsletter on to teams, parents and students.
(a web link is at the top of this email- the "click here")
To subscribe to the newsletter, just fill out this form.
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Reaching for the Stars: Women in STEM Breakfast Sponsored by Rolls-Royce
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Doris Blanchard, one of NASA's first human computers, was honored at FIRST Chesapeake's inaugural Reaching for the Stars: Women in STEM Breakfast sponsored by Rolls-Royce on January 17th.
This inspirational event was created to celebrate the accomplishments of exceptional women leaders in STEM and aspiring female technology leaders.
Catherine Kosiba, Leslie Lytle, and Jessica Aujla were also awarded educational scholarships sponsored by LMI.
Thank you to our sponsors who helped make the first Reaching for the Stars: Women in STEM Breakfast Sponsored by Rolls-Royce a success!
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Bettina Welsh, LMI CFO, and student scholarship winners
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Chelsea Bowen (Rolls-Royce) presenting award to Doris Blanchard
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Inaugural Richmond City Schools Scrimmage
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In early December, students from Richmond City and Eastern Henrico County competed in the inaugural
FIRST
Tech Challenge Robotic Scrimmage at Richmond Community High School.
 Hosted by FIRST Chesapeake and Richmond Community High School with support from NextUp RVA and sponsored by the Brookfield Foundation, the event brought together middle and high school students from Richmond Community High School, John Marshall High School, Franklin Military Academy, Boushall Middle School, Lucille M. Brown Middle School, Henderson Middle School, and Elkhardt-Thompson Middle School.
The students worked for over eight weeks to design and build their robots for the
FIRST Rover Ruckus Challenge.
Almost 30 volunteers from Dominion Energy showed up to help set up the fields, judge, inspect robots, referee, and cheer on the teams.
FIRST
Chesapeake Board member and Dominion Energy
Vice President, Eastern Pipeline Engineering & Construction - Gas Infrastructure Group, Cristie Neller, stepped up to act as Master of Ceremonies and Game announcer during the event.
Autumn Nabors, RPS Director of Curriculum and Instruction, spoke at Opening Ceremonies. "Innovation is messy and we need to be willing to be part of the mess as we do the important work for students with an inaugural event such as this. Robotics helps to build critical and creative thinking, teamwork, perseverance and so much more. I'm thankful to great partners like
FIRST
Chesapeake for providing these opportunities for our children."
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Mentor and Volunteer Lounge Sponsored by Aerojet Rocketdyne at FTC Orange VA Qualifier
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Thank you
Aerojet Rocketdyne for your support of
FIRST Chesapeake and sponsoring the Mentor and Volunteer Lounge at the
FIRST Tech Challenge Orange Qualifier!
Mentors and Volunteers were able to enjoy snacks and coffee while watching the livefeed of the matches.
Special thank you to Candace Green-Perry, Senior Engineer at Aerojet Rocketdyne, for sharing your story and welcoming our guests during opening ceremonies.
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General Dynamics Information Technology Proudly Sponsors
FTC Haymarket Qualifier at Battlefield High School
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"What an amazing experience. .... Being there and experiencing the day is invaluable for rookie
teams," is how one
team member described the
FIRST Tech Challenge Haymarket Qualifier Sponsored by General Dynamics Information Technology at Battlefield High School. Competition is a crucial element to our program as it gives students, mentors, and coaches the opportunity to meet other
teams, share challenges, and learn from successes.
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) was proud to be the title sponsor of the
FIRST Tech Challenge Haymarket Qualifier. Ash Betchar, a GDIT employee, enjoyed watching the matches, meeting students and handing out GDIT swag. General Dynamics was happy to support all the
teams attending the event.
Thank you GDIT for your continued support of
FIRST Chesapeake!
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Here are some upcoming FIRST and STEM-related events. Click through the links
for more information or visit the
FIRST Chesapeake Events calendar
for even more event listings.
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- Feb 2- FTC FIRST Tech Challenge VA Championship Sponsored by ECPI University (Atlee High School, Mechanicsville, VA)
- Mar 1-3- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Richmond VA Event Sponsored by Dominion Energy (Deep Run H.S., Glen Allen, VA)
- Mar 1-3- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Haymarket VA Event (Battlefield H.S., Haymarket, VA)
- Mar 8-10- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Bethesda MD Event Sponsored by Bechtel (Walt Whitman H.S., Bethesda, MD)
- Mar 15-17- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Owings Mill MD Event (McDonogh School, Owings Mill, MD)
- Mar 15-17- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Portsmouth VA Event Sponsored by Newport News Shipbuilding (Churchland H.S., Portsmouth, VA)
- Mar 22-24- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Oxon Hill MD Event (Oxon Hill H.S., Oxon Hill, MD)
- Mar 29-31- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Blacksburg VA Event (Blacksburg H.S., Blacksburg, VA)
- Apr 10-13- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Championship (George Mason University, Fairfax, VA)
Learn more about volunteering with FIRST Chesapeake here.
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Showbest Grant Award Winners Announced
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Showbest Fixture Corporation has generously funded grants for 13
FIRST Robotics Competition teams in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia for the 2018-2019 competition season.
We are happy to
announce
the following winners:
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Team 612 - Chantilly Robotics
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Team 4472 - SuperNOVA
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Team 1629 - Garrett Coalition (GaCo)
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Team 5243 - Aegis Robotics
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Team 1727 - Rex
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Team 5279 - Bionic Eagles
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Team 2106 - Junkyard Dogs
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Team 5954 - Portable Chargers
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Team 2377 - C Company
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Team 1080 - Resurgence Robotis |
Team 2998 - The Vikingbots
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Team 7770 - Infinite Voltage
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Team 401 - Copperhead Robotics
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FIRST Chesapeake is grateful to Showbest for their support and thanks them for partnering with us to encourage youth to become science and technology leaders.
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Newport News Shipbuilding Grant Winners
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Once again, funding to FIRST Robotics Competition teams in Hampton Roads has been made available through a generous contribution by Newport News Shipbuilding. The following teams received awards to help defray travel and lodging costs for the 2019 FRC season:
- Team 1793 - Aviators
- Team 1610 - Blackwater
- Team 2028 - Phoebus
- Team 5957 - Cybercanes
Newport News Shipbuilding is the sole designer, builder and refueler of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy submarines. With approximately $4 billion in revenues and more than 20,000 employees, they are the largest industrial employer in Virginia and the largest shipbuilding company in the United States. Newport News Shipbuilding is also home to the Apprentice School, where they are committed to developing core leadership principles in all apprenticeship students along with the character and technical competence.
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FRC Dean's List Submissions
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If you are planning on submitting nominations for the Dean's List for FIRST Robotics Competition, the submissions deadline is February 14 at 3:00 pm EST.
For more information about the Dean's List, click
here.
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We Need YOU to Volunteer for Upcoming Events
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 Do you have parents or student team members with some time on their hands? We could use their help at these upcoming events:
Technical experience NOT REQUIRED! We have many jobs that just require someone willing to help. Positions available for as short as 2 hours or as long as all day. Minimum age 13.
The sooner people sign up, the better chance they have of getting the job they want.
Need volunteer hours for a club or honor society? We'll sign paperwork for you as well!
Go to our
webpage for more information, or
click here to sign up NOW.
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Looking for current FIRST Chesapeake news, information and announcements?
Some recent topics:
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Keep up with all things FTC and FRC by liking and or following FIRST Chesapeake on all our social media accounts!
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Hear
