Dear parents and guardians of future coders, designers, entrepreneurs, and engineers,
Hello. My name is Michael Geletka, and I will be the new Robotics mentor for Elyria Catholic. I have been hired to fill the role of tutor, to help support our students with accommodation plans, and to run their supplemental support classes. In addition, I am also pioneering Esports (competitive video gaming), and am attempting to break new ground with our newly renovated maker space. I graduated with a B.S. in biomedical engineering from Ohio State, and I have been tutoring math and teaching infrequently since 2014. I'm also an EC alum. I'm reaching out to you because I need your help.
I was not lucky enough to be a part of a robotics program when I attended EC, but I have friends who have told me about their experiences - both as students and volunteers. They participated in what is known as the FIRST Robotics Competition, or FRC. The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. That is the program that EC participated in two years ago, and it is the community I hope to make part of the EC tradition this year. Many of my friends shared that robotics was what informed and inspired them to pursue technical careers. Former volunteers, who currently work as engineers in Rochester, talked about getting swept up in the whirlwind after the tournament kickoff. They had already been giving time to teach concepts and demo systems, but for those six weeks it was as if all activity was focused directly on the highschools in their area. For a time, it was their everything, and it was everything to the students involved, from the students in the shop machining parts, to the students in the computer lab coding and animating, to the students in the lab sketching circuits with breadboards, impatient to begin the permanent work of soldering.
If your child is interested in engineering and technology, please consider encouraging them to join our Robotics team. In addition to fun and learning, there are scholarships available as well. For now, we are meeting once a week after school on Wednesdays until 5. We already have a healthy budget, a closet full of parts, tools, and peripherals, and ample space to begin learning and building, but its all for nothing without dedicated students to make use of it. There is however, another side of the coin, and that is adult volunteers.
Robotics is an exciting, dynamic, challenging, engaging pursuit for all students at EC. But without adult volunteers, it's lip service. Truly, the program lives and dies off of the generosity of those that donate their time and expertise to foster and prepare the problem solvers of tomorrow. Please, help me to revitalize the tradition of Robotics at EC. Please, consider whatever time you can spare and spend it helping any way you know how.
While there will be a strong need for engineering expertise, there is an equally important need for providing meals in the weeks leading up to competition, carpooling, chaperoning, and logistical support.
The commitment, for now, is two to three hours a week, and we have started to meet weekly. As we approach the build season we will begin meeting twice a week, and when build season starts we will meet at least three times a week for at least three hours, more than likely in the evening to give ample time for other extracurriculars and homework.
As of now my priorities are
- student recruitment
- exploration, inventory, and organization of the robotics supply closet
- restoring, fixing, and perhaps duplicating our t-shirt cannon
- begin showcasing our club by making appearances at home games with our t-shirt cannon
- schedule meetings for students to learn technical skills, (LabView, Solidworks, etc)
- re-evaluate and plan ahead
At your convenience, please take a moment to take the following survey by clicking on the button below.
Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to working with you.
-Mr. Geletka '09
