What is FIRST? FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills. Much of FIRST involves students in teams building robots to compete in competitions with other teams. Gracious professionalism is also a major pillar of FIRST, which involves players showing respect and camaraderie to each other.

Some statistics:

-Almost 300,000 students are in FIRST, along with 51,000 mentors make up 26,900 teams with over 24,300 robots

-The FIRST robotics competition itself has over 60,000 students

-FIRST students are 3 times more likely to major in engineering

-People who participate in FIRST are more than twice as likely to go into science or engineering

Mission:

"Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, 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."

Our Team:

Team 484, based at Haverford high school in Haverford Pennsylvania, is a robotics team that has been around for 13 years. Created in 2000, the team quickly became a rookie all-star, and then was a finalist at the Philadelphia regional in 2001. The team is still going strong 10 years later. Students and mentors learn information about robotics and technology from each other, while students prepare for future careers like engineering and the sciences. The team includes very dedicated mentors, who guide students through tasks and allow them to learn. Students learn valuable skills like leadership, group work, and gain valuable friendships. Awards of the team include winning the Wissahickon competition 4 times in a row, Xerox Creativity Award at the Chesapeake regional at 2008, and the Motorola Quality Award at the Chesapeake regional in 2006.

Our Mentors: