Through strategic outreach efforts, the P-51 Mustangs aim to expand participation in and support for FIRST Robotics throughout Richardson Independent School District. To achieve this, we have decided to start and mentor teams in the district as well as build relationships with district authorities and expand awareness within our community of robotics.
Teams
Over the years, we have employed what we call the “down and out” strategy, in which we try to expand down into our high school’s feeder junior highs and elementary schools before expanding outward to the rest of the district. However, we struggled to establish teams without the added support of another FRC team. Additionally, we realized that creating teams that would compete at a different level than ourselves was more difficult than starting with teams competing at our own level whom we could go to competitions with and work together with. Thus, we adopted the “out and down” strategy, in which we try to establish an FRC team at the other high schools in our district before moving to the junior highs and elementary schools.
Richardson High School
For the 2022 FRC season, 1745 mentored the Richardson High School FRC Team, 8874, for their rookie season. This mostly involved sharing a workspace at our shop and mentors, as well as going to one district competition together. At the end of the season, we reflected upon our mentorship of their team as well as how we want to move forward, and with our new mission statement cementing our goals, we recognized how we had in some ways failed to assist their team to the best of our abilities. Going into the next year, our team has dedicated itself to a more thorough involvement with 8874, starting with increased integration. Student leadership is planning various social events to help bring the two teams closer together so that we can help mentor them to success in the upcoming year.
Winter Camp
For the second year in a row, our team will be hosting a Winter Camp for elementary-aged students, this time in partnership with the Richardson High School FRC Team. This camp serves as a team fundraiser and an outreach effort to provide younger students with an opportunity to learn about mechanical design, programming concepts, and game strategy.
Flight Training
Our team is initiating a new outreach program for the 2024 FRC season. Students from Richardson North Junior High and Parkhill Junior High will be invited to engage with the team during build season and competition as “trainees”.