Competition season may be over, but the Girard High School FIRST Robotics team continues to keep busy with community service projects.
In addition to playing games and interacting with senior citizens during Senior Day at the Girard Multi-Generational Center last month, the team also volunteered during the Special Olympics at Girard Arrowhead Stadium. This is the third year the Girard-Liberty Rotary, Fairhaven School and Girard City School District have worked together to sponsor this event.
This month, the National Packard Museum presented "FIRST Robotics Day at the Museum" on June 2.
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Members of the Girard High School FIRST Robotics team volunteered at the Special Olympics at the Girard Arrowhead Stadium as part of their partnership with the Girard-Liberty Rotary Club. The team members created the program, conducted volunteer and team check-in, organized the balloon launch and helped lead the Parade of Athletes. This is the third year the Girard-Liberty Rotary, Fairhaven School and Girard City School District have worked together to sponsor this event. A few of the team members pictured with attending dignitaries front row from left are: Lane Tuttle, Gabby Coggins, Megan Avey, Kada Williams and David Meigs. Back row from left are: State Sen. Capri Cafaro, Superintendent of Girard City Schools David Cappezello, Anthony Esposito, Blake Swift, Joelle Lambert, Mayor Jim Melfi and Jason Huey.
Visitors to the museum, which is open from noon to 5 p.m. each Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. each Sunday, were able to see the robots up close and learn about FIRST robotics and its history in the Mahoning Valley. On hand for the event were students and mentors from FIRST Robotics Competition teams not only from Girard, but also from Warren G. Harding, Champion and Austintown Fitch High Schools.
Each year, FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, designs high-energy robotics sporting events which challenge teams of students to design and build robots and then compete head-to-head against other teams' entries.
These competitions encourage educators, technical professionals and sponsors from area businesses to work directly with the students on these hands-on engineering projects. Local FIRST teams have introduced hundreds of students to engineering and problem-solving concepts well ahead of college and have inspired many to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
Parents, educators, local professionals, and business owners who are interested in starting up or supporting FIRST robotics teams in the Mahoning Valley, can get more information by contacting Travis Hoffman by email at travis.e.hoffman@ delphi.com/ or by calling 330-219-7848.