We are a community competitive robotics team made up of 7th through 11th graders from the Greater Danbury Connecticut area, including New York. We compete in the FTC through FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) a 501c3 non-profit STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) engagement program for kids worldwide. Our FTC team was founded in the 2014-15 season as a result of an exclusion policy by our local high school, which would not allow anyone to join the team until their junior or senior year of high school,
INSPIRE. ENGAGE. ENCOURAGE. EMPOWER
OUR MISSION
BE THE GOAT
To inspire, engage, encourage and empower all people, particularly historically underrepresented groups such as, minorities, females, underprivileged youth and individuals with different abilities to become leaders in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) by providing them with hands-on engineering challenges through participation in FIRST robotics.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to change or eradicate any perceptions that females, minorities or individual's with different abilities wouldn't, shouldn't or couldn't participate in STEAM fields like robotics. To find out Why, Read Below "The True Stories Behind our Mission and Vision Statements"
OUR METHODOLOGY
VISIBILITY "If you look up and see no one like you, it is hard to envision your own career path." -Bliss Our Methodology is to be visible and vigilant in our Community Service and Outreach and our Business Strategic and Sustainability Plan by continuing to be out in the community at least once a month, by finding, engaging, recruiting, inspiring, education and retaining team members, mentors, sponsors, business leaders and community partnerships.
with a focus on diversity and inclusion with the goals of creating leaders in technology and engineering and increasing diversity and inclusion in STEAM through robotics.
Our Community Service and Outreach (CSAO) and Business Strategic and Sustainability Plan (BSSP) includes partnerships and mentorships by ourselves and by industry professionals, to build a foundation of both technical, social and values, for ourselves and for kids we mentor.
OUR CORE VALUES
SIR TELIC is the name of our Core Values Goat Mascot. Each letter of his name represents a core value. Telic is defined as directed or tending towards a goal or purpose; purposeful
Our Core Values are in line with the FTC core values
quod aedificationem ex nihilo building something out of nothing...
The League of Extraordinary Roboticists (The League or LER) evolved as a result of an exclusion policy by our local high school robotics team which precludes students from joining their robotics team until their junior or senior year. Some former team members were members of a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics team and were aging out of the program. They did not want to stop participating in robotics for two years...As a result, The League was founded in the 2014-2015 season. The first year there were 5 members, our Captain G, who was in 7th grade then and is now in 10th grade is the last remaining founding member.
THE STORIES BEHIND OUR MISSION and VISION STATEMENTS
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam I shall either find a way or make one...
OUR TRUE STORIES:
"What do you mean you're on a robotics team, ...you're anti-stereotypical! Blacks don't build robots, we play basketball and football..." (statement made by one African-American kid to an African-American team member)
uh NOT true! #Robotics is for everyone!
"Girls can't build robots!": (Statement made at different times and in different locations to girls on our teams)
We know they can! #Robotics is for everyone!
Disability or Different Abilities: We realize the value of different perspectives and abilities..."there are many labels for people who have mental, physical, learning and emotional challenges but all too often they are negative or tend to give the impression that a person's condition is something to keep quiet about. To be labeled with such words as 'limited' or to be thought of as less capable than others ..." can be discouraging because often times it has a negative connotation.
We currently have and will continue to have members on our team who have different abilities . We appreciate their different abilities, often times they make the most contributions to our team, we are extremely lucky that they are members on our team!
#Robotics is for everyone!
Why we mentor!
And how it relates to our mission and vision statements: We have observed through the interactions of our FLLJR boys and girls teams, how the perceptions are different when kids are building and programming together at a young age versus when they have not. There are no statements that girls can not do this, there are no statements that because someone is a particular race, they can not do this.
If we are successful and are able to engage and inspire kids in robotics while they are young, then robotics becomes a normal part of life, this, hopefully will lead us to a future where perceptions are changed and those statements no longer exist such that diversity and inclusion ideas are embraced and become the norm in robotics, and in STEAM.
OUR PARTICIPATION IN FIRST
Our participation in FIRST, allows team members and others to realize that FIRST is "More than Robots" it's the tool we use to create more interests in STEAM programs and fulfill our mission statement to increase diversity and inclusion in STEAM through robotics. We intend to change people's perception about who and what types of people can participate in robotics and other areas of STEAM. This is evidenced by our community service and outreach programs, our awareness campaign, our mentorships and partnerships with other like minded individuals and organizations that are committed to exposing as may people to robotics as possible, with a focus on inspiring, engaging, encouraging and empowering young kids and underrepresented groups such as females, minorities and differently abled individuals to join. #Robotics is for Everyone, Everywhere
P.S. That's me on the far right, with the bead necklace, holding the Rubiks Cube, at the 2014-2015 World Championships! I volunteered to help out our brother FLL team, as the pit crew for the Technic Terminators, Team 11415...I was only in 4th grade and had completed my first year on team EPIC, FLL team 11416. Surprised and Excited to see my face on FIRST website!
NE/CT FIRST Waterbury Qualifier, Brass City Brawl, 12/16/17Inspire Award Finalist, 2nd place; Captain, Semi-Final Alliance; Advancement to State Championships
NE/CT FIRST Danbury Qualifier, GOT G.O.A.T S, 1/20/18 Winner Motivate Award; Captain, Final Alliance
NE/CT FIRST Central CT Qualifier, ASD, 2/3/18 Winner Motivate Award; First Selection, Semi-Final Alliance
NE/CT FIRST CT State Championships, 2/16/18 Winner Inspire Award; Captain, Semi-Final Alliance; Advancement to Super-Regionals
2016-2017 Season"Velocity Vortex" World Festival, St. Louis, MOApril 25 - 30th, 2017
CT FTC Battle at the Beach State Championships, Westport, CT2/18/17
ASD Determined Tigers Qualifier 2/4/17 2nd Place Finalist, Inspire Award CT Mountain Matchup Qualifier 12/4/16 First Selection, Semi-Final Alliance Winner, Connect Award
2015-2016 Season"Res-Q" CT FTC Battle at the Beach State Championships, Westport, CT 3/18/16 First Selection, Semi-Final Alliance Winner, Motivate Award Finalist, Rockwell Collins Innovate Award CT Mountain Matchup Qualifier, Ridgefield CT 11/21/15 Finalist, Control Award
2014-2015 Season"Cascade Effect" CT FTC Battle at the Beach State Championships, Westport, CT 3/7/16 First Selection, Final Alliance Gator Bowl Qualier, Greenwich CT 2/21/15 Captain, Semi-Final Alliance Finalist, Connect Award
LC Shakedown, Loomis, CT 2/7/15 Winner, Control Award