The Mission Trails Robotics Community, which is part of the Henry Cluster STEMM Foundation, is hosting a “Robot Team Meet & Greet” in the community room in the San Carlos Branch Library on Tuesday, June 7 from 6 to 7 p.m. The library is located at 7265 Jackson Drive.

Families and students with interest in designing, building, and programming robots are invited to meet the coaches of local K-12 school and community FIRST® robotics teams. Event attendees will learn what it is like to be on a competitive robotics team and how you could help start a new team at your child’s school or in your neighborhood.

After a short introduction, attendees will get to see robots from different grade level teams and talk to coaches and current robot team members about their experiences. Event participants will leave the session understanding what “robot season” is like and with information about local resources and available assistance for new and existing teams. Finally, the Robot Team meet and greet is a chance to come in contact with other local families with an interest in robotics, to discover what opportunities can be created for their students.

FIRST® runs robotics programs for all grade levels:

· FIRST LEGO League “Discover” (K-1) (FLL)

· FLL “Explore” (2-4)

· FLL “Challenge” (4-8)

· FIRST Tech Challenge (7-12) (FTC)

· FIRST Robotics Competition (9-12) (FRC)

Several school and home/community FLL teams operate within the Mission Trails Robotics Community, as do two FTC community teams. Patrick Henry High School is home of the FRC team, the Patribots (pictured above). The current season has ended but the new season doesn’t start until August. Now is the perfect time to explore options for the 2022-2023 school year.

The mission of the FIRST® robotics program 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. More information is available on their site at firstinspires.org.

The goal of the Henry Cluster STEMM Foundation is to increase the level of engagement and academic achievement in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, music, and the arts among students of the Patrick Henry High School neighborhood schools by creating experiences that are relevant to their career development and personal interests.

For more information about the HC STEMM Foundation, go to hcstemm.org. We are a 501(c)(3) public benefit nonprofit corporation.