Calvary Baptist Academy is proud to offer the full range of FIRST robotics programs to help our students in growing their technical skills, teamwork, and innovation. Our program has a great track record of developing students who have discovered their future careers. We have competed very well with schools in our area and beyond, and our teams have been invited to participate in events up to the World Championship level. Our 2022-23 season recap is attached to give you a glimpse of our program.
These programs give students the opportunity to explore building, programing, researching, and leadership all in the fun context of a challenge unique to each year. The 2023-2024 theme is FIRST in Show; we’re shining a spotlight on the role STEM plays in the arts and empowering young people to design and build a world of endless possibilities. Check out this the FIRST website for a snapshot of the challenge.
We are excited to invite all of our students to consider joining our robotics program in the 2023-2024 school year! No experience required, just an interest in learning about robotics and a commitment to working as a team. Please sign up on the 2023/24 CBA Robotics Registration Form to help us plan for the upcoming year. Please note the program specifics and registration deadlines noted below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My child has never done robotics before, can they still participate?
A: Absolutely! A key intent of the program is to provide an introduction to help students explore robotics. Coaches are ready and willing to help any student who is eager to learn.
Q: What is involved in this program? Is it all playing with Legos (younger levels) or driving robots (upper levels)?
A: Building with Lego is actually a minor part of the elementary programs, and driving the robot is only the final stage of the upper level programs. The students at all levels will spend most of the time designing and building a robot, programming the robot’s movements, preparing to present their creation at events, and researching the challenge theme. While we do allow the students to focus primarily on their area of greatest interest, we do expect that all students will be ready and willing to help where needed by their team.
A: This will be dependent on coach and volunteer availability. Teams may meet either after school, evenings, or Saturdays. We will do our best to form teams that meet desired timing; however, the best way to ensure your team meets at your preferred time is to serve as a volunteer or coach. We will work around your schedule if you are willing to help our program!
Q: I’m willing to help, but I have no robotics experience, what can I do?
A: NO EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED TO VOLUNTEER! We do have some coaches with expertise in this area, but those coaches need to be supported by several volunteers that can provide general oversight to the teams. To effectively run a team, the coaches will need to have the ability to work one-on-one with students during build sessions, and that can only happen if there are other adults present to provide oversight to other students.
Q: How do I find more information on the FIRST program?
A: You can find more information on these programs at the FIRST site: FIRST | For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (firstinspires.org)
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Jaime Fisk, CBA Robotics coordinator.