As expected things will be different in the 2020-21 season from prior years. In light of this, FIRST Chesapeake has been holding virtual town hall meetings to update and inform constituents. 

 All FIRST program volunteers in DC, MD, and VA were invited to watch a Virtual FIRST Volunteer Roundtable on Sept 24th. Leadership from FLL Explore, FLL Challenge, FTC, and FRC gave reports about competitions and this season's volunteer roles and needs.

If you would like to view the recordings for these FIRST Chesapeake Town Hall meetings or any prior ones, click here. 

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   Please ask your school bookkeeper or team non-profit organization to change our mailing address for registrations or other payments to:

	Paula Gulak- photo from vcu.edu

We in the FIRST Chesapeake family were saddened to learn of the passing of Paula Gulak on August 18th. For those of you who may not have met Paula, she was not only a founding board member, but she was also incredibly instrumental in bringing FIRST programs to Virginia 20 years ago as a founding member of the NASA/VCU Regional Planning Committee. No job was too big or too small, and she passionately advocated for FIRST with everyone, from students, to corporations, to her extensive connections amongst Governors and elected officials. 

The impact Paula had on the growth of information technology in Virginia was remarkable. With her partners, she started one of the first women-owned technology companies in Central Virginia. She was also a founding member of the Greater Richmond Technology Counsel (now Tech RVA). One of her proudest accomplishments was the creation of Women in Technology, an organization that encourages women and girls in the field of technology.

For many years, Paula volunteered as a judge at FIRST events and served on FIRST planning committees. In addition to her love of technology, she also had a passion for the arts. She was a fiercely loyal friend to many and a proud mother (of an engineer) and grandmother. Paula was a true role model of love, loyalty, hard work, intelligence, and inclusion. Her spunk and lust for life influenced everyone she met. We are grateful for Paula's many contributions to establishing FIRST Chesapeake and for her fight to expand access to STEM programs. She will be missed by many, but her legacy remains to embrace each day fully and graciously.

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 on a team resource page 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.