Happy Summer!
Just a few announcements for our teams as you prepare for your summer adventures.
- Thank your volunteers with this video from FIRST.
- June is Pride Month! How can you and your team support this? Read more from LGBTQ+ advocate & FIRST supporter Joe Stanieich-Burke on five ways you can celebrate Pride Month and be a good ally.
- FRC Team 4935, Team T-Rex, created this video as part of their Equity and Access Grant Project. It is a great reminder, directly from our students about why representation matters on our teams.
- FIRST Crash Course on Off-Season Events
- Did you see the announcement about the 2022-2023 Season Theme? If not, you will be “energized” by what you see here. (Insert bad pun groans here.)
- The FIRST Robotics Competition Calendar has been updated with key dates related to the 2023 season all the way through FIRST® Championship.
- FIRST Upper Midwest announced an Equity & Inclusion Financing Initiative for teams in MN, ND, and SD who are interested in implementing a project that will make changes to culture and increase the participation and/or success of underserved, underrepresented and/or vulnerable populations. Please see the attached document if your team is interested. Deadline: June 27, 2022!!
- FIRST Upper Midwest and the Regional Planning Committees are seeking your input on various team and event criteria. This information will be used in planning next year’s events and schedules. Please have only one person from your team fill out the survey. We would like this survey completed by June 17th. Thanks, Mark Lawrence, Chairman, MN FIRST Regional Planning Committee
- The Duluth Gitchi Gummi Get Together off-season needs a few more teams and volunteers to really make it happen. The Gitchi Gummi Get Together is hosted by the Duluth Daredevils with support from the Arrowhead Robotics Coalition (ARC). A good first-event for rookie team members – and mentors! Event dates are July 15-16, at Duluth East High School. Signup to reserve your space here
- Virtual Upper Midwest/Minnesota Robotics GSA (Gender & Sexuality Alliance) Meeting, Monday, June 13th, 7:00 pm, Zoom Link: Meeting ID: 889 5966 4565, Passcode: WoodBloom. All LGBTQ+ and allied FRC students and mentors are invited to this virtual meeting, where we will meet each other, discuss what the plan is for Robotics GSA, and what people want out of it. There will be cool discussions, fun games, and a presentation! We will also talk about creating an organizing committee to plan virtual and in-person events across our region in the coming months. Joseph Steinhauer (he/him), 2491 NoMythic
- And finally… what is a robot’s favorite snack? Potato chips!
Have a terrific June!
Nicole Schossow
Regional Director, MN, ND, SD
Pronunciation and Pronouns: she, her, hers
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology
Cell: 603.696.4780 | nschossow@firstinspires.org
Based in Winona, Minnesota
Main Office: 200 Bedford Street | Manchester, NH 03101