About Us
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The Dawson-Boyd Robotics Team was created during the 2015-2016 school year for students in grades 7-12. The team competes as part of the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition.
Each year the Dawson-Boyd team begins meeting biweekly in November to prepare for the build season by learning about technology and building practices as well as conducting fundraising and marketing efforts. The official FIRST® competition season begins in January with a kickoff when the year’s challenge is revealed. At that time, each team gets an identical kit of parts and commences designing and building the robot. Robots must be completed prior to the regional competition that takes place in the spring and a new robot must be completed each season. |
The robotics team provides different opportunities for students that are not available from other extracurricular activities. Students get to learn about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields by collaborating on real-world projects. While creating their robot each year, team members utilize math and science skills and see the results of their work in action. They also learn how to safely work with a variety of tools for construction and wiring. Learning how to read and write code is required to program the robot, and students get to see their own programming applied in the real world. The robotics program provides learning opportunities beyond technology fields, as well. The team is run similar to a business; students participate in creating the team’s budget, and fundraising. Students also conduct marketing and publicity efforts, as well as forming relationships with other teams, which is important for success at competitions. The short six-week time frame for building the robot requires organized planning and managing of the project timeline.
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The robotics program requires a significant amount of funding to participate in FIRST® competitions and provide the best experience for the students involved. The school district does not provide funding, so income is generated through fundraising, grants, and sponsorships. The team gives credit to sponsors on our website, team t-shirts, yearly banner, and decals on the robot. The Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks hope that the community recognizes the value in this program for developing the science, technology, and business professionals of the future. This activity equips current high school students to be strong prospective employees after graduation.
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The FIRST® Core Values encourage students to have good sportsmanship, respect others' contributions, value teamwork and learning, and be involved in their communities. These values are:
Coopertition®
Coopertition®, an amalgamation of the words cooperation and competition, describes FIRST® events. While teams are competing against one anther, they also work together on alliances throughout the event. Helping other teams, even ones that you will later compete against, is in every team's best interest. Coopertition® gives FIRST® events a unique atmosphere of togetherness and positivity that is often not found in other competitions.
Gracious Professionalism®
Gracious Professionalism® describes the way FIRST® students treat others. It encourages students to be formidable competitors while also respecting others. Gracious professionals value knowledge, competition, and empathy. All FIRST® students are taught to be gracious professionals in all aspects of life, which helps them in their future professions and relationships.
- Discovery
- Innovation
- Impact
- Inclusion
- Teamwork
- Fun
Coopertition®
Coopertition®, an amalgamation of the words cooperation and competition, describes FIRST® events. While teams are competing against one anther, they also work together on alliances throughout the event. Helping other teams, even ones that you will later compete against, is in every team's best interest. Coopertition® gives FIRST® events a unique atmosphere of togetherness and positivity that is often not found in other competitions.
Gracious Professionalism®
Gracious Professionalism® describes the way FIRST® students treat others. It encourages students to be formidable competitors while also respecting others. Gracious professionals value knowledge, competition, and empathy. All FIRST® students are taught to be gracious professionals in all aspects of life, which helps them in their future professions and relationships.
More information:
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