It has been a busy year for FIRST programs in Virginia, DC and Maryland. The first local District Model event was held at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, Virginia, March 4 ^th-6 ^th, with thousands of team members, sponsors, volunteers, families and exhibitors attending the 2 ½ day event. Six more local district events will follow over the next 3 weeks and then it is time for inaugural FIRST Chesapeake District Championship Sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, at the University of Maryland's Xfinity Center. From April 7 ^th-April 9 ^th, 58 of the best and brightest high school robotics teams from Virginia, DC and Maryland will compete to win a chance to attend the FIRST World's Championship in St. Louis.

"Inserting a new competition model, putting on 7 new local events, and establishing a new District Championship during the 2015-2016 competition season has been an exciting and sometimes exhausting challenge. We could not have accomplished so much in the past 12 months without the expertise and support of Booz Allen Hamilton," said Stan Southworth, Executive Director of Virginia FIRST. "Booz Allen Hamilton understands the importance of increasing competition opportunities and enhancing the FIRST experience for FIRST Robotics Competition teams. Over 2 years ago, they helped develop the strategy that has made this transition possible today."

Please join FIRST teams, FIRST staff, Booz Allen Hamilton and other sponsors at the first ever District Championship, April 7 ^th-9 ^th, 2016 for an exciting display of competition, coopertition and gracious professionalism.

 

Title Sponsors for local events include Bechtel, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Leidos, Micron, and Newport News Shipbuilding. 

For a listing of events in your area, visit www.firstchesapeake.org.

Funding for FIRST Robotics Competition teams in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia has been provided through a generous grant by Newport News Shipbuilding.  The grant placed a special emphasis on teams that need assistance to attend the  FIRST  Chesapeake District Competitions and Championship. 

The NNS Team Grant Committee was pleased to award the $6,000 grant pool to four teams. Thank you to the teams that applied- we wish them the best in this competition season.

Check it out and find out about the new FRC District Model Competition for Virginia, Maryland and D.C.

Pre-Engineering and Robotics Industry Certifications/ Credentials for Virginia Schools

 

Virginia CTE Directors and STEM Educators,

While you plan for the end of this school year and for next year for STEM Industry Certifications/Credentials approved by Virginia I wanted to share with you our Pre-engineering and Robotics Industry Certifications/Credentials that are endorsed by several major US based and international engineering corporations such as Harris and Northrop Grumman and many others.   When your students do well on our pre-engineering and robotics industry certifications, you know they are gaining the foundational occupational skills and knowledge that are recognized as relevant here, as well as globally, and will serve them well in their career endeavors right out of HS and for entering the workforce and their continued education in post secondary for vocational certificates, AS, BS or PhD.

 

These industry certifications/credentials are recognized by the state of Virginia for your programs and students.

 

Link to Pre-engineering Certifications/Credentials

http://www.cteresource.org/apg/credentials/pre-engineering-industry-certification-examination-2269

Link to the Robotics Certifications/Credentials

http://www.cteresource.org/apg/credentials/robotics-industry-certification-examination-2270

The REC Foundation Industry Certifications for Pre-Engineering and Robotics  http://www.roboticseducation.org/certification/  . 

 
    Here is a document with all the pertinent information included.

Students earning the robotics certification earn both the pre-engineeirng and the robotics certifications which also meet the requirements for End of Course or the EOC exam.

 

Please let Matt Conroy or Aaron Parkin with the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation  know what they can do to assist you and your students.

"Nothing that has value, real value, has no cost. Not freedom, not food, not shelter, not healthcare...Everybody has to be able to participate in a future that they want to live for. That's what technology can do."   Dean Kamen

 

Webster's defines a sponsor as " a person or organization that provides funds for a project or activity carried out by another", but VirginiaFIRST sponsors are so much more. In addition to providing financial support to sustain and grow valuable FIRST STEM-based leadership programs for thousands of youth each year, VirginiaFIRST sponsors also provide volunteers for events, mentors for teams, and often act as FIRST advocates among their peers.  In 2015, the VirginiaFIRST board made a bold move to enhance the competition experience for teams by partnering with staff in DC and Maryland to create FIRST Chesapeake. Our sponsors stepped up to the challenge and helped expand our operations and outreach by 60% to include seven new FIRST Robotics Competition events and a new 12,500 square foot VirginiaFIRST headquarters and workshop/scrimmage space. We are so grateful to these corporations, foundations and individuals who are providing us with the resources and support to build tomorrow's technology leaders.