Community and Outreach
Helping Out Other Teams
Team 694 is always ready to help out struggling teams, whether it is during the hectic build season or at the competitions themselves. Throughout the years, we have visited other teams and invited them to our lab to share knowledge and experiences about safety, organization, fundraising, engineering and software engineering. Even during competitions, our team is ready to send members to help other teams with their robots, and cheer with them as they win awards or advance to the finals. Helping other teams also provides us a way to bond with them and form a long-lasting friendships, an incentive that has kept us in action.
Helping other teams is just as advantageous to our own team as it is helpful to others. Bonding with members of other teams is like welcoming others into our community and the friendships and loyalties formed are long-lasting.
Resources
Check out our resources for other teams.
FLL
In the spring of 2001, Team 694 gave a presentation about instituting a robotics curriculum to interested teachers. Since then, we have helped inspire several schools to get involved in this spectacular program. In addition, Team 694 has been there to lend a helping hand by mentoring teams, especially at I.S. 89 across the street whom we have mentored each year since 2002.
Our involvement with FLL increased in December 2005 when the Manhattan Borough FLL Tournament was first held in our school. Our helping hand is not limited to schools in our local community. As of 2019, we helped a number of FLL Teams in Puerto Rico. More specifically, we aided in programming and their project presentations. These four teams were the ASJ Robotigers, Knight Hackers, The LEGO Builders and The Robogens.
Recently, as of 2021, we've also devised our own FLL curriculum, designed specifically to help new teams and their mentors get a solid foundation in the basics of FLL robotics and its associated activities such as the FLL research project. We have finally put this FLL curriculum to use, as we currently mentor three teams, one of which we started ourselves at a nearby church. Dedicated members from our team volunteer to visit the church once a week to help them. A short introduction to the guide and the links to its resources can be found in this PDF (to be added)
Team 694 Within the School
Following our successful rookie year, Stuyvesant High School was inspired to start an “Intro to Robotics” class, taught by our very own head coach and mentor, Joseph Blay. Today, this course is still available to Juniors and Seniors, a perfect catalyst for spreading the message of FIRST and generating interest in the Robotics Team. The class was such a success that several schools considered the possibility of adding a similar course to their curriculums.
Team 694 often performs demonstrations at alumni reunions at our school. This year, several alumni enjoyed the thrill of driving our 2004 robot, Larry, around the school lobby. We even went beyond our original expectations by having several willing team members conduct tours of the building on short notice, We were later commended by the alumni for our knowledge and gracious manners.
Yet, 694 does not limit its demonstrations to just alumni to emphasize the importance of the robotics program. For 2022's Open House session, we showcased our 2016 robot, DEStiny, in front of hundreds of incoming freshmen and their parents. Through this, we hope that Robotics will become one of their reasons for choosing Stuyvesant, and that no matter where they go, they will spread the message of FIRST robotics.
Public Demonstrations
Over the years, Team 694 has been featured in numerous demonstrations, shows and the media. We most notably appeared in Wired Magazine's 2006 NEXTFEST Demonstration, where our 2006 robot, Joshua, played mock matches of the game, “Aim High,” watched by thousands of spectators. In 2004, StuyPulse had gone on to present at the World Financial Center, whereas in 2008, we were invited to showcase FIRST Robotics at the first annual World Science Fair held in Washington Square Park. Every year, we regularly present on-stage at the TriBeCa film festival and also on the street, where we have our fundraising book sale. We have also appeared at Sony Wonder Fair, the NASA events, Maker Faire, and various local events. In the midst of busy demonstrations, we also try to increase our government's interest in FIRST and other robotics programs through presentations and by raising awareness of proposed bills which would support the development of more robotics teams in less-advantaged schools.