Looking for some weekend reading? 

The FIRST Chesapeake Annual Report is now available! Thank you to our teams, volunteers, sponsors, and partners for another great year.

	Kathryn Elliott (left) Defense Sector Capability Manager, Performance and AeroThermal Systems for Rolls-Royce, presented the 2020 Award to Elizabeth Lindsey.

Technology-industry professionals gathered on Thursday, January 23 at the UVA Darden Conference Center in Arlington, Virginia to celebrate Reaching for the Stars: Women in STEM Sponsored by Rolls-Royce and hosted by FIRST Chesapeake. The event featured the presentation of the 2020 Reaching for the Stars Award, as well as a Robotics Showcase and Reaching for the Stars Scholarships sponsored by Dominion Energy.

Representatives of Dominion Energy attended the Women in STEM Breakfast to help honor the scholarship recipients.

Thanks to Dominion Energy, the second annual Women in STEM Breakfast also featured Reaching for the Stars Scholarships for three outstanding young women associated with FIRST Chesapeake teams. Over 50 applications were received for three available scholarships, a total of $5,000 in awards.

Every year we hear the most amazing stories about coaches and mentors who go above and beyond for their teams and in their communities. This year, we are pleased to recognize one of these outstanding volunteers with the Jim and Laraine Schubert Unsung Hero: Mentor of the Year Award. This award recognizes a  FIRST  Chesapeake FTC or FRC Mentor who has gone above and beyond to support the 5 Strategic Pillars of  FIRST . The award winner will be announced at the  FIRST  Chesapeake District Championship Sponsored by Newport News Shipbuilding on Saturday, April 4th, at the Hampton Coliseum. 

The Award will include complimentary air travel and lodging at the FIRST World Championship in Detroit, a meal stipend, and invitations to select VIP events at the World Championship. (NOTE: The Mentor's team does not need to qualify for Worlds for the Mentor to attend.) 

Click here for more information and the application.

 

Meet the full 2020 Cohort Sponsored by  Booz Allen Hamilton  by visiting  this webpage

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 Also watch for future social media posts detailing their volunteer efforts this season!

What is the  FIRST  Chesapeake Alumni Ambassador Program?

• Engage FIRST Alumni as event volunteers and mentors;
  Encourage enhanced training to prepare FIRST alumni for more complex volunteer roles;
• Provide professional development opportunities to better qualify FIRST alumni as role models and mentors;
• Utilize alumni at FIRST Chesapeake District events as representatives who embody the program ideals of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition.
   

 

Watch the 2019-2020 challenge, Skystone, played one more time by 58 of the best and brightest FTC teams in Virginia at the FTC State Championship Sponsored by Capital One at Atlee High School. Mentors are invited to relax and enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages in the Mentor Lounge Sponsored by Bechtel. 

You asked and we listened.....The Team Advisory Committee suggested that mentors, volunteers, and staff could benefit from a workshop focusing upon mentoring and conflict resolution this season. 

	Some of the mentoring workshop attendees

FIRST Chesapeake was asked if they could help facilitate communications between teams in the DC, Maryland, Virginia areas. 

Since we cannot share team contact information that has been provided through FIRST Headquarters, we proposed that interested teams create a basic team gmail address that can be posted under a team info tab on our website. Teams would be listed by geographic location, as well as program. (Other information such as website and social media will also be included). It is our hope that this directory will encourage teams to connect with each other on a local level. 

If you are interested in registering your team, please complete this form. https://bit.ly/2lrDqVF

Now is the time to sign up for FIRST Robotics Competition events! FRC events are listed on VMS and ready for you to register - j ust log in or sign up in the upper right-hand corner.

A FIRST Chesapeake event requires over 100 volunteers each day. Regardless if you have technical or non-technical expertise, there is a volunteer role for you!

  Showbest Fixture Corporation  has generously provided funding for FRC team grants for the 2020 season. All registered FRC teams in DC, Maryland and Virginia are eligible to apply for this needs-based award. 

Applications must be submitted on-line by 4pm, on February 7, 2020. Awards will be announced by February 21, 2020. 

	The RoboLords participating in Eagle Ridge Middle School Diversity Night

This season we asked teams to submit material, information, and stories for inclusion into the newsletter.

This quarter we bring to you an outreach article about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Education by the RoboLords (FTC Team 1112). 

Would you like to submit an article or material for publication in Hear  FIRST! - click  here for guidelines.

   

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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VirginiaFIRST dba FIRST Chesapeake as your charity!