The Mystic Biscuit
About
History
Our team was created in 2017 by our incredible math and science teacher Paul Snape. We offer the FIRST robotics program to grades 8th-12. Through the FIRST program, students are empowered to become interested in STEM and gain experience solving problems creatively. FIRST offers opportunities for high school students to apply for college scholarships.
Our program provides students the opportunity to delve into mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, project management, business, marketing, computer animation, computer programming, and more! Students develop strong and transferable skill sets and emerge from the program confident in their ability to apply these skills. The goal of our team is for everyone to have a positive STEM experience and to learn that a challenging task can be completed with collaboration, dedication, and resilience.
About FIRST
Since 1992, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has hosted events to engage future generations in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The FIRST mission 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."
At the beginning of January, FIRST releases a competition outline, and high school teams worldwide begin designing robots to compete in competitions. There are two “alliances” of three teams that compete against each other for points in every game. "Build season" is typically a time frame of six weeks after the challenge is announced. The most competitive teams are invited to attend districts, and eventually the world championship. Teams also have the opportunity to compete for awards at competitions for outstanding team characteristics and robot design elements.
Community Outreach
This summer, the Mystic Biscuit team hosted two summer camps for younger students interested in pursuing STEM (3rd - 5th grade). This included a one-week co-ed camp and a one-week all-girls camp. This is essential in fostering interest in STEM among younger students and is not confined to the students at Cascades Academy. Anybody that fits the age requirements can take part in the camps.
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Our team is also very involved in our school’s STEM’s community. We donated $6,000 worth of new robotics parts and equipment to help our middle school start its vex robotics team. We also support our lower school Lego robotics team by mentoring the team, and we donated $1,000 worth of new robots so they can continue to grow their operations and advance their skills.