The Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School / FIRST Robotics Team 88

We know that we’re a little behind on our updates, but we thought that we’d have to share this with you:

Last night, we pranked our mentors….Like every good team should.

Some of our mentors had put balloons in our drive coach’s room, filling it to capacity….The students subsequently decided to stuff them in one of the closest student rooms and play ‘Dodgeball’ and ‘Keep it off the Lava’ before room checks.

But at room check, we decided to pile them all in to our DePuy rep.’s room–repaying her for all the balloons she got for our drive coach.

It was fun, and helped us all bond as a team. But let it be said that it was even funnier when our head coach went to shower this morning and found it filled and overflowing with balloons…

Now if only we could collect them and tie them to our robot….then we could fly to St. Louis (a.k.a. Paradise Falls) and finish our Adventure Book….

We always have time for a few laughs, even at build.

When you join a robotics team, you don’t expect to meet people who will turn out to be your best friends, but you do. Spending so much time with the same group of people forces you to connect with members you don’t know too well. On TJ there is not one member who has joined and not left with a new family, and it is the main reason so many graduates still come back to help mentor the newest members of the team. Being on travel is one of the best experiences anyone could ever endure. Where else will you find a team that brings +60 students together, creates a robot, teaches every kind of communication skill, and grows a family? Nowhere else will give kids a better chance to find a place to fit in, and enjoy where they are. Not only do members make friendships with other members, but they make friendships with their coaches and mentors. When a high school student has so many people to go to, they become more open and willing to make even more friendships. TJ is our high school’s largest team, and has by far the most impact of each and every student in the school.

Our school received a grant this year, and with it the school purchased a 3-D printer for the pre-engineering classes. It is used for all types of STEM learning, and the pre-engineering teacher was nice enough to let our team use when it is needed. TJ designs parts in CAD and then prints them out on the printer, which allows us to build complex parts much more quickly; we like to call it “rapid prototyping”. It can print robust parts out of ABS plastic, which is a rigid and easily machined thermoplastic. We use these printed parts on out robot. The printer uses a small thread of plastic heated up to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit and the printing can take from two to six hours, depending on the size of the piece.

Now, we are printing a large sprocket to go around our turret to help turn it. The team used CAD to design the sprocket and then split it up into six pieces so it would fit into the printer. After all the pieces are done printing we assemble them into a full sprocket and attach it to the robot.

This year our game is basketball related, and has difficult elements that make this year’s game special. The robot has to be able to shot balls in three hoops each at differing heights that also have different point values. It also has to be able to get over the ramp, and the bump, which will create interesting mechanical features to the design of the robot. This year’s game as created a great challenge that we are all excited to undertake.

Twas the day before vacation, when all through the school
Only TJ was stirring, being supercool.
On the white boards were drawn a chimney with care,
Knowing a team party would soon be there.

The students all brought gifts for their peers,
And plates of deserts seemed to disappear.
With students in costumes and decorations around.
No one could put the team’s spirits down.

When all through the room there was lots of chatter.
The swap had begun gift choice was the important matter.
Over to the gifts the students flew like a flash.
Tore open the paper and threw it in the trash.

The unicorn, the dragon, the nerf gun too.
Gave students a reason for hullabaloo.
When, what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But Mr.Edgington dressed in Santa gear.

With the flash of a camera, so bright and quick,
Ms.Jerome took a picture of the team’s St.Nick.
More pictures were taken during that day,
And we whistled, and shouted, and said hooray !

We sprang to our feet, and we went our own ways,
Looking forward to the future TJ days .
But we heard Calef exclaim, as she drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”