This document provides an overview of the Huskie Robotics team for parents. It discusses why robotics is beneficial for students, the team's goals and activities, expenses, challenges from last year, and how parents can volunteer to support the team. Key information includes the student fee of $190, weekly meetings during the build season from January to April, competitions in March and April, and various ways parents can volunteer their time such as chaperoning, food preparation, or mentoring students.

1. Huskie Robotics
Welcomes Parents!

2. Tonight’s Agenda
• Why is robotics awesome?
• Who are the Friends of Robotics?
• Where is the team headed?
• What are the expenses?
• What were the biggest challenges last year?
• How can parents help?

3. Why Robotics is
Awesome
• Develop New Skills
• Scholarships
• Leadership
• Helpful when applying to college
• Fun videos

4. Developing New Skills
• Engineering
• Time Management
• Fabrication
• Design
• Programming
• Collaboration
• Project Management
• Marketing
• Strategy
• Data Analysis
• Media

5. FIRST Student
Scholarships and
Internships
• over $16 million in scholarships
• 780 scholarship opportunities
• 148 scholarship providers
• FIRST Team 3061 alumni have received scholarships
• Scholarships
www.usfirst.org/aboutus/scholarships
• Internships
www.usfirst.org/aboutus/internships

6. Opportunities for
Leadership
• Huskie Robotics
• FLL

7. Applying to College
• Robotics gives your student something
very meaningful to write about on their
college applications
• Teamwork, leadership, problem solving,
design, programming, media, marketing

8. Where last year’s
Seniors are attending
• Iowa State college
• Caltech
• Olin College of
Engineering
• Howard University
• Purdue
• Bradley
• Northern Illinois
• University of Illinois-
Urbana Champaign
• MIT
• Case-Western
• Northwestern
• University of
Washington

9. Huskie Robotics
• Team 3061 video

10. Tonight’s Agenda
• Why is robotics awesome?
• Who are the Friends of Robotics?
• Where is the team headed?
• What are the expenses?
• What were the biggest challenges last year?
• How can parents help?

11. Why Friends of
Robotics was formed
• Teachers/Coaches are amazing and
work extremely hard
• Big team / few coaches / long hours

12. Tonight’s Agenda
• Why is robotics awesome?
• Who are the Friends of Robotics?
• Where is the team headed?
• What are the expenses?
• What were the biggest challenges last year?
• How can parents help?

13. Where are we headed?
• What is the history of the team?
• Where are our goals?
• What are we doing now?
• What will we be doing in January?

14. Huskie Robotics
2014 Midwest Regional Gracious Professionalism
Award
2014 Midwest Regional Quarterfinalist
2013 World Championships Participant
2013 Northern Lights Regional Champion
2013 Midwest Regional Quarterfinalist
2012 Midwest Regional Gracious Professionalism
2012 Midwest Regional Semifinalist
2009 Founded

15. Our Goal
• design, build, test a
• 5-foot tall, 120-pound robot
• that performs multiple complex tasks
• in a period of 6 weeks
• based on a kit of parts & $4000 allowance
• constrained by 100s of rules

16. The Real Goal
• inspire young people to become science and
technology leaders
• engage them in mentor-based programs that
• build science, engineering, and technology
skills
• inspire innovation
• foster self-confidence, communication, and
leadership

17. Where are we headed?
• What is the history of the team?
• Where are our goals?
• What are we doing now?
• What will we be doing in January?

18. Weekly Meetings
• meeting every Wednesday after school
• until 5:30 pm
• organized into ten teams working on
various projects and developing skills
necessary for the build season

19. Students are
• building a team
• getting organized
• developing new skills
• learning from mentors
• preparing for the build season

20. Co-Curricular Meeting
• required once during high school

21. Huskie Robotics
Spirit Wear
• students receive two orange t-shirts
• parents, students, and siblings are
welcome to order Huskie Robotics spirit
wear
• t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, polo shirts,
sweatshirts
• forms and money due soon

22. Where are we headed?
• What is the history of the team?
• Where are our goals?
• What are we doing now?
• What will we be doing in January?

23. FRC 2015 Kickoff
• Who: entire team
• Where: NNHS
• When: Saturday, January 3, 2015
• all day (times TBD)
• Why: watch the unveiling of the game;
brainstorm on strategy

24. 2015 Build Season
• Who: entire team
• Where: NNHS
• When:
• January 5th - April 4th
• Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays;
3:30 pm to 9 pm
• Saturdays; 8 am - 4 pm
• student time commitment is flexible
• Why: optimize productivity

25. 2015 Stop Build Day
• Huge Milestone!
• February 17th, 2015, 11:59 pm
• The robot must be bagged and tagged
• We will continue building and testing our
second (practice) robot

26. Rock City Regional
• Who: varsity team (must apply)
• Where: Little Rock, AR
• When: March 4-7, 2015
• Why: warm-up event

27. Midwest Regional
• Who: entire team, parents, families, sponsors,
mentors
• Where: UIC Pavilion (depart from NNHS)
• When:
• Wednesday, April 1 (skeleton crew unload)
• Thursday, April 2 (varsity team setup and test)
• Friday and Saturday, April 3-4, 2015
• Why: show the home crowd what we can do!

28. After Regionals
• World Championships?
• April 22-25
• outreach activities
• sleep

29. Tonight’s Agenda
• Why is robotics awesome?
• Who are the Friends of Robotics?
• Where is the team headed?
• What are the finances and expenses?
• What were the biggest challenges last year?
• How can parents help?

30. Finances
• $35K budget
(completely supported by corporate partners
and covers very large entrance fees, parts,
and other expenses that are completely
different than the student fees)
• corporate sponsorship
• student fees (2 T-shirts, safety glasses,
dinners during the week, the Kick-off Meeting,
meals at Midwest)

31. Team Support
• significant financial and mentoring
support from:
Navistar, Motorola Solutions, Exelon,
Molex, Grid Connect, and Lextech!
• significant materials and fabrication
support from:
Cut, Create, Invent!
• grant from NNHS Boosters!

32. Student Fees
• $190 due November 12th
• covers:
• two new t-shirts and one pair of safety glasses
• lunch at kickoff
• dinner at weekday meetings (Monday, Wednesday and
Thursday as well as final build day)
• transportation and meals
for Midwest Regional (Fri & Sat)
• does not cover:
• any other competitions (Rock City or Championship)
• contact Geoff Schmit or Mark Rowzee if the fee is prohibitive

33. Tonight’s Agenda
• Why is robotics awesome?
• Who are the Friends of Robotics?
• Where is the team headed?
• What are the finances and expenses?
• What were the biggest challenges last year?
• How can parents help?

34. Challenges
• Feeding 60+ students
• Challenge of keeping students positively
engaged
• Challenges managing dozens of
students at regional competitions

35. Signup
• We need parents to signup for two volunteer
opportunities
• 1. Pickup food and cleanup
• 2. Chaperone until 9 pm (all chaperones must complete
background check with District 203)
• If you provided a contact email you will receive a link.
• If not, send an email to gschmit@Naperville203.org to
be added to the group distribution and cc:
team3061.friends.of.robotics@gmail.com to receive the
link.

36. More Volunteers
Needed
• Pickup the kit of parts on Kickoff Day at IIT in
Chicago. 2 people.
• Spirit wear. Collect $, order and distribute at meeting.
1-2 people.
• Yard Signs proclaiming how amazing your kid is.
Pickup and Distribution. 1-2 people.
(nnhsboosters.org/wp-content/
uploads/2014/07/Winter-Season-14-15.pdf).
• Pickup lunch on Kickoff Day. Drop off, cleanup at
NNHS Small Cafe. 1 Person.

37. Help!
• share potential corporate sponsors
(financial, materials, facilities, mentors)
• mentor (engineering, marketing,
communications, business, software)
• cheer at the Regional Competitions
• volunteer!

38. Be a Mentor
• Mentor Kickoff Meeting; Wednesday,
November 12, 6pm in room 115

39. Outreach
• Why is outreach important?
• Part of the mission of FIRST
• Developing future interest in the team
• Leadership and mentoring opportunities
• Value for our sponsors

40. Upcoming Outreach
Opportunities
• Mentoring FLL teams - Thursdays, Fridays,
Sundays (ongoing)
• FLL Scrimmages - Nov 8-9 and Nov 21-22
• FLL Tournament - Dec 5, 6, and 7
• Info available on Canvas - please encourage
your students to sign up.

41. Help Your Daughter or
Son Prioritize
• FRC is the hardest fun they will ever have
• for some, Huskie Robotics will be the seminal event of
high school
• robotics is addictive
• academics must come first; students are never required
to be at meetings and never required to stay for the entire
meeting
• we will not allow students to participate in meetings or
competitions if they are failing as defined by NNHS policy
(2 classes).

42. Communication
• Geoff Schmit:
gschmit@naperville203.org
• Mark Rowzee:
mrowzee@naperville203.org
• Kyle Girup:
kgirup@naperville203.org
• public web site: http://team3061.org/
• Canvas: all critical information and forms
• Friends of Robotics:
team3061.friends.of.robotics@gmail.com

43. Parent Mailing List
• sign up tonight
• send me an email:
gschmit@naperville203.org
• This will help ensure that you can signup
to volunteer online.