Waxing Poetic About FIRST

Yesterday we had our weekly FLL planning committee meeting/conference call at one of the Credit Suisse conference rooms. With the NYC robotics tournament season beginning - check norms robotics blog for full details - things are getting busy.

Who was involved? Students from Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech, NYC public and private school teachers from elementary to high school, parents, teachers and administrators at the University level, students from Columbia U and Polytechnic U, corporate level engineers from Credit Suisse and SIAC, and a few retired NYC teachers.

I was amazed at the total level of egalitarianism. The kids, as young as 15, were equal partners and their level of commitment and responsibility is the most impressive thing about it all. We have all worked together since June to make these events meaningful for thousands of students, their teachers and parents throughout the NYC area. Most teams are from schools, but we also have community organizations, a NYC Parks Dept team and a home-schooled team.

The first official event will be this Sunday, Dec. 2, at PACE U downtown Manhattan campus where kids from 6-14 will be taking part. This event comes out of the unique partnerships forged through FIRST. The senior FIRST Robotics Team from Stuyvesant have with the support of the parents and alumni have teamed with people at PACE U to coordinate the activities.

Next week, Sat Dec. 8, there will be events at Lehman HS in the Bronx and at Brooklyn Tech.
The week after, Sat. Dec 15, we will hold the Queens tournament at Aviation HS and the Staten Island tournament at Staten Island Tech.

Over 80 teams from the 160 entered will go on to the citywide at Riverbank State Park on Jan. 26.

Check it out.