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LATEST NEWS...

Interested in Building, Programming, and Competing With Industrial-sized Robots?

Posted on January 4, 2024, by J. Bradshaw.

Student programmers for Team #8222 collaborate on the code for autonomous robot operation during a recent Joint Build & Practice Session at the Great Lakes Science Center – Image credit, J. Bradshaw.  


The Great Lakes Science Center's Robotics Initiative invites you to join one of our six supported teams. Our program is open to any high school student in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD).  To apply to join one of our teams click HERE  to complete the online Student Pre-Registration Form.

  • For CMSD students living in or attending school in the downtown area or on the city’s near Westside, there are two teams to choose from:

    1. Team #8140, the RoboManiacs of MC2 STEM High School, and

    2. Team #9622, GRIDLOCK of Garrett Morgan School of Engineering & Innovation;

  • For CMSD students living in or attending school in the northeastern sector of the downtown area or the city’s Eastside, there are two other teams to choose from:

    1. Team #8145, the Tech Warriors of East Technical High School; and 

    2. Team #8222, the Argonauts of Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School; 

  • For CMSD students living in or attending school on Cleveland’s Westside, there is Team #8243, the AstroCircuits of John Marshall School of Information Technology.

  • For girls attending any CMSD high school that would prefer to join an all-girls team, there is Team #9643, Lady VOLTAGE.

During the competition season, teams meet regularly after school and on Saturdays at both their host school and the Great Lakes Science Center.  For specific information about each team's meeting times and locations, visit the "On-site Build & Practice Sessions" page in the Season Calendar. 

Off-season Opportunities

The FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) program is for high school-aged students in grades 9 through 12. Our competition season kicks off in January and goes through April. However, ours is a year-round program. During the offseason (May through December), our team members are busy learning the many skills needed to design, build, and program competitive robots that roll, fly, and swim. Participating students also use the off-season to visit colleges and universities, tour local manufacturing facilities, participate in off-season tournaments, and engage in various forms of community outreach.

There are plenty of important roles for students and adult mentors on a team. Some are more technical and involve designing, manufacturing & assembling the parts, wiring the electrical components, and programming the robot for competition. Other roles are non-technical and involve marketing, fundraising, public speaking, and other logistical tasks. All roles are equally important and many team members have more than one role. Training is provided so no experience is not required. What is required is a desire to learn, the willingness to help others grow, and a passion for FUN!

Whether you want to work on the technical side or the non-technical side, there is a place for you on one of our teams! If you are or know of, a CMSD high school student who would like to join our program, please apply online at https://forms.gle/9HSt8ueo5sJHXFcP9.

Mentors Wanted

Don’t forget, we are looking for adult mentors too! If you have an encouraging attitude, and a desire to help students achieve their goals and discover a future career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics...

WE WANT TO TALK TO YOU!

 

We need male and female mentors with backgrounds in the following areas:

Engineering • Mechanical Design • Computer Programming

Business Planning • Team Building • Fundraising

Public Speaking • Recruitment • Electrical Engineering

Project Management • Creative Thinking

 

 

Whether you’re available to work with us regularly, or if you can only help facilitate a single training workshop, we need your helpTo learn more about many mentoring opportunities available through this program, watch the video at https://youtu.be/52cfc_icl9c.

 

 

Then if you are ready, click HERE to complete an online questionnaire to provide us with your contact information and let us know about your areas of interest and expertise.  You can also contact Mr. Bradshaw at bradshawj@glsc.org for additional information.

 

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SEASON CALENDAR 
AT A GLANCE
 
Click the active links below for additional information about that event or activity, and to learn which team(s) are participating.

 

PRE-SEASON EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

 

2025 Kettering Kickoff

September 20-21, 2025

Kettering University

1700 University Ave.,

Flint MI 48504

2025 Curiosity Open Robotics Challenge

September 27, 2025

Great Lakes Science Center

601 Erieside Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114

Voltage Valley Vibe

October 15, 2025

Warren G. Harding High School

860 Elm. Rd, Warren, Ohio, 44484

Cullens Cancer Clash (C3)

October 25 -26, 2025

Northville High School

45700 6 Mile Rd

Northville, MI 48168

FRC Mentor Training

November 8 2025 (9 AM- 4 PM)

Great Lakes Science Center

601 Erieside Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44114

2026 REGULAR SEASON ACTIVITIES


2026 FRC Kickoff Watch Party

January 10, 2026

Great Lakes Science Center
601 Erieside Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114


Weekly Build & Practice Sessions

Meeting days, times, and locations vary by team. Click the link above to see the tentative schedules for all supported teams.

Buckeye Regional

March 18 – March 21, 2026 (Week 3)

Wolstein Center, Cleveland State University

2000 Prospect Avenue E.

Cleveland, OH 44115

 

Miami Valley Regional

April 1 – April 4, 2026 (Week 5)

Cintas Center, Xavier University

1624 Musketeer Drive.Cincinnati, OH 45207

 

New York Tech Valley Regional

April 15, 2026 – April 18, 2026 (Week 7)

MVP Arena, 51 S. Pearl Street

Albany, NY 12207

2026 Student Recognition & VIP Awards Dinner 

Date: TBD

Great Lakes Science Center
601 Erieside Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114

2026 FIRST Championship

April 29 - May 2, 2026

George R Brown Convention Center
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Houston, TX 77010

OFF-SEASON EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

 

2026 Ohio State Championship

May 16, 2026

Worthington Kilbourne High School

1499 Hard Rd,

Columbus, OH 43235

Hands Across Borders Build Sessions

Every Thursday & Saturday

(May 7 - June 20, 2026)

Great Lakes Science Center

601 Erieside Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44114

  • Saturdays: 10 AM - 3 PM

  • Thursdays: 5 PM - 8 PM

Note - This schedule subject to change..

 

2026 Med Access International Humanitarian Medical Mission  

June 22 - July 2, 2026 

Hospital General Latacunga

Latacunga, Cotopaxi Province

Republic of Ecuador

 

FOLLOW US HERE: 

WE DON'T JUST BUILD ROBOTS, WE BUILD FUTURES

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