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Eagle Robotics Team Community Outreach

The FIRST Lego League was created as a branch of FIRST Robotics, and was designed for elementary and middle school students to become involved with science and engineering at an early age (that's how we get them, start young!). The challenge these teams face is a lot like what our high school students take on, only scaled down to Lego size (still counts though). Two years ago the Jr. Eagle Robotics FIRST Lego League Team (say that five times fast) was created in our area, so naturally our Eagle Robotics donated materials, resources and students (we even donated our own people) to mentor this younger team. We eagerly help the FLL team since we know they will be the next leaders of Arroyo Grande Eagle Robotics, and because learning and teaching is what we do best.

Five years ago our Eagle Robotics Team had a dream to unite the school and community in an engineering competition, that would allow them to understand the fun and importance of science (hey why else would we do it?). We developed our Annual Catapult Pumpkin Launch Competition (which was a success by the way), to bring together our Arroyo Grande community and schools. Branch School courteously donates their left-over pumpkins from Halloween that they grew in their pumpkin patch (thank you for our ammunition!). This competition has even become a part of our engineering academies curriculum, and every year we have more entries, more people, more trebuchets, and more nutty ideas than the year before. We accept anyone and everyone to enter so join our participants and make our competition even greater!

Time for a lesson: Branch G.A.T.E. Students being educated by Grant
Eaglets (FLL)'s turn to shine: Lego Mind Storms Challenge
Thank you: Presentation then donation from Kiwanis Club
Yeah we're cool: Trebuchet Pumpkin Toss


After our success in the community catapult contest (hey we get to boast a little), we decided to host a school-wide competition of a different sort (don-don-don). Our team linked up with our schools ASB and Link Crew to put together a Boat Regatta (ironically regatta means "boat race", so technically it's a Boat Boat Race). By incorporating many FIRST rules and principles, fruitfully we developed a successful challenge that many fellow Arroyo Grande High students sought to enter. Teams from all over the school set out to put together boats made from duct tape (yes you heard right: duct tape) and cardboard that would fit two people and have enough speed and strength to race other boats across the school swimming pool. Many of our school's clubs and classes entered as well as some of our finer teachers and administrators (watch your teacher/administrator get all wet via our boat race!). The first competition was such a big success in '05, that it was unfair to keep it all to ourselves (we love to share a good thing with everyone). It only made sense to invite the neighboring high schools to join us in the year '06.

Not only did we show off our handy-work in the Harvest Festival in '04, but our Eagle Robotics went to the NASA Regolith Excavation Challange in '07 to cheer on one of our favorite mentors, Jim Greenhaw (he did pretty well, and was the only contestant to have his robot run for the full thirty minutes). On the same day as the regolith excavation, our own Mrs. Hinchman was contacted by the California Space Authority, and together they held a student competition on the same day (awesome!). Mrs. Hinchman thought it would be amazing if there was a real live astronaut at the regolith excavation, to come and talk to maybe future astronauts. Well, California Space Authority did one better. They brought in Buzz Aldrin! Not only a real astronaut, but he has been on the moon (holy! that would be beyond cool, and out of this world)! One kid there even asked Mr. Adrin if he believed in aliens, whose response was appropriately attributed to him being an alien; "Yes, I think I believe, for I myself came back from outer space!" (humm something to ponder...). Thank you Mr. Aldrin for coming out and gracing us with your professional presence!

Splash: Race in Duct-tape!
Festival Time: Showing off our robot at the Harvest Festival

Go Jim!: We cheer on our mentor Jim Greenhaw during the NASA Regolith challenge
Houston we have no problem: astronaut Buzz Aldrin pays us a visit during the NASA Regolith challenge

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For more information contact : Bill Findley
Phone: 805-474-3200 x-2802
Mail: 495 Valley Road - Arroyo Grande, CA 93420