The Mechanical Masterminds (M2) have begun their second year as a FIRST Robotics team for St. Francis High School. Currently, they are actively recruiting more students to join the team in diverse areas, including mechanical and electrical engineering, software programming, marketing and communications, safety and quality, robotic automation, and more. FIRST Robotics is as close to real-world engineering as a student can get, with professional mentors volunteering their time and talents to guide the team.
For those interested in learning more, the Mechanical Masterminds are holding an informational meeting for students after school on Tuesday, December 18. In addition, they are seeking community and industry sponsors for partnership in the upcoming season. (Sponsor information is available here: https://www.stfrancisrobotics.org/sponsors )
The 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season has a theme of “Destination: Deep Space” in honor of the 50th Anniversary of landing on the moon. The team will learn the rules of the game for this season at a kickoff event in Becker on January 6, 2019 and they will work hard for six weeks to build and program the robot for competitions in March.
Coaches Paul Good and Todd Kruse, along with industry mentors, meet with students several times a week as they prepare for the 2019 competition season. The team expects to have up to 20 or 30 students, which includes a merger of the Isanti 4H team into the Mechanical Masterminds. The collaboration brings years of experience from mentors and students from the small, but successful Isanti team. Together, they look forward to competing in several regional events in March with the hope to again advance to Championships in April.
During the past several months, mentors and parents have been working to further develop this new team. The team now has an official SFHS Robotics Booster Club, which operates as a non-profit organization to support advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for St. Francis Area Schools. The team has also gained a larger room at the high school, with designated space to build the robot, a computer programming area, and storage for their materials.
It’s an exciting time for this team, as they look forward to the season to start in just over a month. If you have interest in joining or have any questions, email us at frc7068@gmail.com.