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TEAM 703 IGNITES 2014 SEASON!

The Saginaw Career Complex-based Phoenix Robotics Team has begun the new season. Saturday, January 4, 2014, the team met up at Bullock Creek High School in Midland, MI for the kickoff, where they learned about the new seasons competition game of Aerial Assist. The team watched the annual FIRST Robotics presentation, then set about brainstorming for their design the same day. This years team roster includes DeJuan Black, Jacob DeBarr, Nate Englehardt, Surina Gupta, Aaron LaBelle, Jenna Maturen, James McLaughlin, Augustine Ostrom, Zac Rossiter, Brendan Young, and Dimitri Young. New members and families can visit the for information on the team and its history, including pictures and videos of previous years seasons/teams/competitions and how the team came to be called Phoenix. Visitors can find information about FIRST Robotics, a calendar, links, and other important information. Watch for issues of this newsletter each Saturday, too!

Go Team Phoenix 2014!

W HO S ON FIRST? B ETTER YET , WHAT IS FIRST? For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology
FIRST is the organization behind the robotics competition and sponsors state and global robotics competitions open to grades 9 through 12. FIRST also sponsors LEGO and other science/technology programs and competitions for students as young as 6! The group is dedicated to showing students of every age that science, technology, and problem-solving are not only fun and rewarding, but are proven paths to successful careers and a bright future for us all. Kids who participate in FIRST programs are significantly more likely to attend college, major in science or engineering, and be outstanding future employees and citizens. To find out more, visit their web site at WWW.USFIRST.ORG .

K E Y DAT E S
Jan 4Feb 18 BUILD SEASON! Regular Meetings: Weekdays 5:30pm-8:00pm Saturdays 9:00am-4:00pm January 18th January 25th February 1st February 8th Saturday Lunch Saturday Lunch/Party BUILD-A-BIRD WORKSHOP! Saturday Lunch Saturday Lunch

MEET A MENTOR! MONEY FOR COLLEGE!

Team 703 Phoenix has a number of mentors who help support the team. Scholarship Mentor, Randy Knepper, will provide a focus on at least one scholarship opportunity each week here! See page 2s FIRST OPPORTUNITIES BEGIN WITH BUICK for his first article and also take a look at: WWW.USFIRST.ORG/SCHOLARSHIPS for an up-to-date listing of current scholarship opportunities. For additional scholarship assistance, please feel free to contact Randy via e-mail at RKNEPPER26@CHARTERMI.NET

February 15th Saturday Lunch Feb 28Mar 1 Center Line/Southfield District Competitions (Scouting Only) March 6-8 Kettering

703 Competes! District Competition March 20-22 Great Lakes Bay (Dow HS)

HELP

FOR THE

TEAM

703 Competes! Region Competition April 10-12 ? April 24-26 ? FIRST Robotics Competition MI State Championship FIRST Robotics Competition WORLD Championship

Members of Team Phoenix will be kept very busy during Build Season (see Key Dates at left) and they need some help and support. A big thank you to those families who have volunteered to provide lunch to the team on one of their long Saturdays. There are still a few things the team could use to get them through this toughest stretch of the 2014 season. The team is required to bring a fun handout to competitions and help is needed at the Build -A-Bird Workshop, where parents can help make feathery little phoenix birds. No time? Consider sending snacks, drinks, or Coke Points. For more details, see Page 2! Page 1

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S C C R o b o t i c s Te a m 7 0 3 N e w s

Build-A-Bird Workshop Party

Saturday, January 25, 2014 at 1:00pm will be the Team Phoenix Build -A-Bird Workshop party! Any and all are welcome to come and join the fun! Each year, the robotics teams who arrive to compete in the tournaments are asked to bring a fun item to pass out that has something to do with their team. A big hit at previous competitions has been a little feathery Phoenix some of the parents and other supporters of the team have made. The tiny toy has a fluffy head and body, googly eyes, and bright, soft feathery wings and a tail. They are so popular that the team has run out in previous years. Last year, light on volunteers, the team had only about 100 and this was not enough to use for their handout. The team still has those 100 birds and all the supplies to make more, but helping hands are needed to assemble enough of the fun little novelties to allow the team to again hand them out at this years competition. The party is open to all who wish to come and help out. Most of the activity will just be a little trimming and then hot-gluing the pieces together. The process goes quickly and is very fun for those who like creative crafts or just building. Bring an assembly line (6 or 7 people can put a bird together using this method) or come alone or with just a friend or two and either join a team or work on your own to make one bird, a few, or many. Stay as long as you wish. All help will be appreciated!

Fueling Build Season

As the Build Season days set in, our team is putting in a lot of hours and may be rushing to get to meetings after school, eating late on weekdays. Snacks and drinks arent always available and, on the full day Saturday meetings, when members arrive at 9:00am and stay until 4:00pm, the team needs more than just a quick snack to fuel their long day and hard work. In just a few short phone calls, the team was able to find volunteers to provide lunch on all the Saturdays through Build Season. Thank you to all of you! Jan 18 - Knepper family Jan 25 - Gorden family Feb 1 - Rossiter family Feb 8 - McLaughlin family Feb 15 - Young family The team still is in need of beverages and snacks, such as juices, crackers, fruits, bagels, cheese sticks, or other snacks/continentalstyle breakfast items for after-school weekdays and early Saturday mornings. The team has access to a refrigerator, microwave, and toaster oven. Any donations sent in are greatly appreciated! Save My Coke Reward codes for the team!
Please also consider sending in your MyCoke Reward codes to allow the team to collect free soda to be kept for the team in their break area refrigerator. The codes are available on 12- and 24-packs of cans, and on the caps from individual bottles from any Coke brand products including: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Diet Sprite, Dasani water, Minute Maid lemonade, Fanta, Barq's root beer, Powerade, Fresca, Mello Yellow, Mr. Pibb, Fuze, and Tab. Be sure to cut out the entire code. If any part is missing, the code is void. Please get the codes to Lee Knepper, team mentor.

FIRST OPPORTUNITIES BEGIN WITH BUICK

by Randy Knepper, Team Phoenix Scholarship Mentor

FIRST Scholarship Program now offers 900 scholarship opportunities totaling $19 million in scholarships for FIRST participants. Most scholarships are merit-based, but scholarships do exist for a broad range of scholastic abilities. 60% are for specific majors such as engineering, math, science, computer science, or technology, while the remainder allow for any course of study. The majority of scholarships are for specific colleges and universities; however, a few can be used at any school. Eligibility is different for each of the scholarships, so you will need to view each one's criteria carefully. Participating Michigan colleges include: Eastern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Lake Superior State University, Kettering University, Lawrence Technological University, and Spring Arbor University. The Buick Achievers Scholarship Program, funded by the General Motors Foundation, will accept applications for 2014 scholarships NOW through 5 pm EST on Friday, Feb. 28. This is the fourth year the Buick Achiever Scholarships will be awarded to students who excel in the classroom and give back to the community. To be eligible for the program, high school seniors or current undergraduate students must be looking to obtain a college degree in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), or other eligible fields related to the auto industry. Created in 2011, the Buick Achievers Scholarship Program has awarded $16.5 million to students across the U.S. This year, the program will award 100 scholarships of up to $25,000 per year, renewable for up to four years, or up to five years for qualified engineering programs. Students from the United States and Puerto Rico are eligible. To apply for the Buick Achievers Scholarship, or to register for more information, please visit WWW.BUICKACHIEVERS.COM.

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