March 2018
Visible Spectrum is World Championship bound!
Visible Spectrum team members L to R: Natalie Shea, Courtney Popp, Ryan Huynh, Aimee Przhelyaskovskiy, Connor Shea, Isabella Vandenbos, Mikaela Harkema, Selina Woo, Anna Marie Mitchell, Dexter Hein-Harrison, Lauren Snyder. Coaches are Crystal Huynh and Scott McDowell.
Lakeville North HS FTC team #11872, Visible Spectrum, competed in the North Super Regional in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from March 15-17 2018 and won the Motivate Award, earning them an invitation to the FTC Robotics World Championship in Detroit, on April 24-28. The Motivate Award is given to the team that makes a collective effort to make FIRST known throughout their school and community, and sparks others to embrace the culture of FIRST. Here are a couple of examples of how Visible Spectrum spreads the message of FIRST and STEM both locally and globally.
To support the team's journey to the World Championship, donations are gratefully accepted at www.gofundme.com/visiblespectrumftc
- In 2017, Visible Spectrum started a group called FIRST Friends. The mission of FIRST Friends is "to encourage people in FIRST, team members and mentors alike, to connect with each other - by pairing teams and individuals up, thus building strong friendships through mentorships and outreach opportunities". FIRST Friends currently has participants from the U.S. and Israel. At the North Super Regional tournament this weekend, they were approached by the president of FIRST, Don Bossi, about expanding this organization to rookie teams in Romania.
- The team is a regional partner of FIRST Ladies, an international organization started by a Wisconsin FTC team in 2014 to support girls in FIRST Robotics programs. Two of the team members, Anna Marie Mitchell and Selina Woo, were asked last year to take over the directorship of FIRST Ladies. Selina and Anna Marie provided the opening remarks at a FIRST Ladies breakfast at the tournament on Saturday.
To support the team's journey to the World Championship, donations are gratefully accepted at www.gofundme.com/visiblespectrumftc