| Geneva High School’s “ROBOVIKES” Team | | | | Zupke |
| Attacks the FIRST Robotics Program’s | | | | Sophomores: Trevor Deem, Keane Hensley, Josh |
| Breakaway Challenge | | | | Kilmer, Jack Wilbur |
| Walking into a Geneva High School | | | | Freshmen: Derik Baer, Mitchell Baer, Will Camacho, |
| “ROBOVIKES” team meeting is like stepping into | | | | Matt Fee |
| any team meeting of teenagers – they’re | | | | About THE LABEL PRINTERS: |
| working, chatting, teasing, and laughing. They’re | | | | The Label Printers, Aurora, IL, started in business in |
| excited about what they’re building, maybe a little | | | | 1967, manufacturing simple label constructions in a 1,000 |
| anxious about the upcoming competitions, but also | | | | square foot space, with 1 employee, serving the local |
| looking forward to something that they understand, in | | | | Chicago market. |
| their second year as a team, will be a blast. | | | | Today, the company has evolved into one of the 100 |
| The ROBOVIKES feature a mascot designed by The | | | | largest converters in the United States. The Label |
| Label Printers’ prepress department, to the | | | | Printers owns and operates two facilities in Aurora, |
| team’s specifications. The ROBOVIKE is clearly | | | | Illinois, manufacturing and distributing labels and |
| a cross between Geneva High School’s | | | | packaging products to thousands of customers in 25 |
| “Vikings” mascot and Robocop as he must look | | | | countries around the world. The company’s |
| on the weekends when he’s working in the shop in | | | | packaging products are certified to ISO 9001 |
| his basement. In keeping with the Viking theme, | | | | standards, and their quality is backed up by their 99.6% |
| Geneva will once again be naming their robot after a | | | | Quality Acceptance Rating. |
| Viking god/goddess. Last year’s robot Freyja and | | | | |
| her rookie team went to the Midwest Regionals, | | | | About Geneva High School (Community Unit School |
| advancing there to the FIRST equivalent of the | | | | District 304) |
| “Elite Eight”. This year’s team hopes to do | | | | Geneva Community High School is over 130 years old |
| as well, or better, in this year’s game, called | | | | and has over 1,800 students, 150 faculty members, and |
| Breakaway. | | | | offers more than 150 courses in eleven academic |
| The FIRST program is designed so that the kids have | | | | areas. Students may also enroll in one of thirty-seven |
| only 6 weeks to build their robot from a kit of parts, | | | | academic courses in the Fox Valley Career Center |
| with no instructions – one of the many life lessons | | | | curriculum. Advanced placement and honors courses |
| that are part of this “competition of the mind” | | | | are offered in all academic areas supported by the |
| – and that 6 week time frame is a significant | | | | expansion of our Acceleration and Enrichment |
| commitment of time and effort that is clearly | | | | program. |
| understood by everyone. Mary Keyzer, a teacher at | | | | While maintaining an outstanding tradition of excellence |
| Geneva High School, draws on her years of | | | | in education, athletic and extracurricular programs, our |
| experience as a coach, as she keeps an eagle eye on | | | | school provides a wide variety of community service |
| the proceedings, occasionally making a suggestion to | | | | learning experiences throughout Geneva and the Fox |
| one of the kids about what they might be working | | | | Valley. Our experienced administrative team and |
| on. She says, “This year has been a little less | | | | dedicated staff, along with the support of the |
| stressful because we already had supplies and a core | | | | community of Geneva, offer one of the finest |
| group of kids [from last year’s rookie team]. But | | | | educational opportunities available throughout the state |
| it’s still a much slower process than people | | | | of Illinois. |
| realize.” Trevor Deem, a sophomore veteran of | | | | |
| last year’s ROBOVIKES team chimes in, “It’s | | | | About the “Breakaway” Game: |
| slow, but fun. FIRST is fun.” | | | | Teams receive a Kit of Parts made up of motors, |
| Senior David Foehring, who is considering an | | | | batteries, a control system, a PC, and a mix of |
| aerospace engineering major at IIT, is a rookie | | | | automation components – but no instructions. |
| ROBOVIKE, and is involved with building the robot. | | | | Working with mentors, students have six weeks to |
| He says, “It’s kinda fun coming up with different | | | | design, build, program, and test their robots to meet the |
| solutions to the challenges.” Sophomore Keane | | | | season’s engineering challenge. Once these young |
| Hensley is a team veteran. He thinks that FIRST is a | | | | inventors create a robot, their teams participate in |
| “great program [that] provides a lot of opportunities | | | | competitions that measure the effectiveness of each |
| for anyone interested in any type of engineering. The | | | | robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination |
| challenge is really different this year. They did a really | | | | of students. |
| good job of making something really new and | | | | In the FRC “Breakaway” robotics game, two |
| fresh.” He echoes Mary Keyzer’s sentiment, | | | | alliances of three teams will compete on a |
| saying that this year “it was easier to get going | | | | 27-by-54-foot field with bumps, attempting to earn |
| because we’ve got stuff already from last | | | | points by collecting soccer balls in goals. Additional |
| year.” Freshman Matt Fee thinks that FIRST is | | | | bonus points will be earned for each robot suspended |
| “really fun. A different experience than what we | | | | in air and not touching the field at the end of the match. |
| usually do in school.” Matt is a member of the | | | | The bumps have the potential to flip the robot or make |
| Alpine Club (Geneva’s ski club) and the freshman | | | | it crash because of its steepness. As they “run the |
| football team. And while FIRST may be a | | | | floor” the robots will need to shoot soccer balls in |
| “competition of the mind”, Matt says that it’s | | | | their two goals (four goals total, but as in soccer, |
| like being on a football team, as everyone is “still | | | | “own” goals count for the “other” team). |
| working together for a common goal.” | | | | Each goal scored is one point. Robots may play |
| In addition to Mary Keyzer, the ROBOVIKES coach, | | | | defense to prevent the other teams from scoring. As |
| the team has two principal adult mentors who have | | | | the game winds down to its last seconds, robots can |
| volunteered countless hours to help the team build the | | | | score bonus points by suspending themselves off of a |
| robot – Kevin Keyzer, a ceramics engineer and | | | | 7-foot tower. This earns the team two bonus points. |
| Mary’s husband, and Joe Kane, who is the | | | | And teams can earn three more points for every |
| Prepress Department Manager at The Label Printers. | | | | robot that is hanging off of the already suspended |
| Kevin’s brother is the teacher/mentor for the | | | | robot. |
| FIRST team at Lake Zurich High School and Kevin has | | | | About the FIRST Robotics Competition: |
| long thought that the program is outstanding. Joe is a | | | | The FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual |
| graduate of Geneva High School, who has a long term | | | | competition that helps students discover the |
| interest in robots, having built robots for both middle | | | | excitement of science, engineering, and technology and |
| school and high school science projects. Joe says, | | | | the rewards a career in STEM can bring. More than |
| “We have a good group of kids. There’s a lot | | | | 45,000 high-school students on over 1,800 teams from |
| of enthusiasm with this group. Even though we lost | | | | the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, |
| four seniors from last year’s team, we have four | | | | Herzegovina, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, Turkey, |
| freshmen to replace them, which is good. The | | | | and the U.K. will participate in this year’s competition. |
| continuity helps.” He also echoes the idea that this | | | | In 1992, the FIRST Robotics Competition began with 28 |
| year is easier than their rookie year. “They’re | | | | teams and a single 14-by-14-foot playing field in a New |
| learned a lot. This year they’re much better at | | | | Hampshire high school gym. This season more than |
| working as a team. And we can get better. This | | | | 1,800 teams – including 278 rookie teams – will |
| year will be a good year to get the construction part | | | | participate. Forty-three regional competitions in the U.S., |
| down, and hopefully future ROBOVIKES teams will be | | | | Canada, and Israel, plus seven district competitions and |
| able to add other elements of the FIRST program, | | | | one state championship in Michigan, will lead up to the |
| such as the ‘business’ aspect. For that, | | | | 2010 FIRST Championship at the Georgia Dome in |
| they’ll need community involvement and | | | | Atlanta, April 15-17. |
| Boosters.” | | | | FIRST programs are spearheaded by more than |
| Joe Kane encourages everyone to attend the | | | | 90,000 dedicated volunteers worldwide, most of them |
| Midwest Regional competition, held at UIC on March | | | | professional engineers and scientists who mentor the |
| 19th and 20th. He suggests that this year’s game | | | | next generation of innovators. |
| “should be very spectator friendly. Last year was | | | | Participating students are eligible to apply for nearly $12 |
| a little chaotic to the observer – balls flying all over | | | | million in scholarships offered by leading universities, |
| the place, tough to understand who had scored and | | | | colleges, and companies. |
| how. But this year’s game is soccer themed, and | | | | About FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of |
| I think that people who haven’t been immersed in | | | | Science and Technology): |
| the game for 6 weeks, trying to build a robot that will | | | | Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST |
| accomplish the game objectives, will better understand | | | | (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and |
| the action.” Twins (of the extremely identical | | | | Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of |
| variety) Derik and Mitchell Baer are freshmen working | | | | science and technology in young people. Based in |
| on construction of the robot. They think that FIRST is | | | | Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative |
| “pretty neat [and] offers a challenge.” They | | | | programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life |
| play Tri-Cities Soccer, and think that the soccer aspect | | | | skills while motivating young people to pursue |
| of this year’s game is fun. | | | | opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. |
| Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST national advisor and | | | | With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 |
| Pappalardo professor Emeritus of Mechanical | | | | companies and nearly $12 million in college scholarships, |
| Engineering, advised students on how to succeed in | | | | the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® |
| the 21st century noting, “This thing we’re | | | | Robotics Competition (FRC®) and FIRST® Tech |
| launching today [the Breakaway game introduction] is | | | | Challenge (FTC®) for high-school students, |
| not about building a robot, it’s about changing | | | | FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) for 9 to |
| society. Remember Gracious Professionalism™, | | | | 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S. and |
| remember informed thinking, and remember critical | | | | Canada) and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League |
| analysis – all three, all the time. If you do that, you will | | | | (Jr.FLL) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious |
| soon have real comparative advantage.” | | | | Professionalism™ is a way of doing things that |
| ROBOVIKE Team Members: | | | | encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of |
| Seniors: David Foehring, Kris Marut, Travis Reed, Will | | | | others, and respects individuals and the community. |