About Us...

We are members of the Great Lakes Science Center's Robotics Initiative, a collaborative effort between the Great Lakes Science Center and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD).

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The "Initiative" was established with three goals in mind…

1. To inspire a more diverse student population to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.

2. To engage students and teachers by incorporating emerging design, programming, and manufacturing technologies; and

3. To strengthen the impact of existing STEM education efforts by collaborating with local resources that connect area students to STEM career opportunities that help to grow and support our regional economy.

Thanks to the financial backing and in-kind support of our various community partners, the Great Lakes Science Center's Robotics Initiative has been able to accomplish this by establishing and supporting several FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) teams at local urban high schools within the CMSD.  

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OUR TEAMS

We are an inclusive program that embraces all CMSD students regardless of race, gender, ability, or socio-economic status. The four original teams supported by this Initiative are:

• Team #8140 (The RoboManiacs from MC2 STEM High School)

• Team #8145 (The Tech Warriors from East Technical High School)

• Team #8222 (The Argonauts from Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School)

• Team #8243 (The AstroCircuits from John Marshall High School).

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In addition to the four original teams, the Initiative successfully launched two new teams at the start of the 2023-2024 academic school year. They are:

• Team #9622 (GRIDLOCK from the Garrett Morgan School of Engineering and Innovation) and

• Team #9643 (Lady VOLTAGE, a community-based, all-girls team composed of students from 12 different CMSD high schools).

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*Click on the links above to learn more about each of these supported teams and their home schools

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PROGRAM PARTNERS

The student participants of the Great Lakes Science Center's Robotics Initiative are grateful to each of the following 2023 season sponsors for their generosity, encouragement, and continuing support. 

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PAYING IT FORWARD

As members of the Great Lakes Science Center’s Robotics Initiative, we all believe in “paying it forward.”  In other words, when someone does something for you, and you can't pay that person back directly, you pass it on to another person instead…  You don’t pay them back, you pay it forward.

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One of the best examples of this concept is buying a cup of coffee (or a soda) for the person in line behind you at the coffee shop. Inspired by your generosity, they decide to buy a coffee for the person in line behind them, and so on.

It has been proven that a single act of kindness can have a ripple effect that builds exponentially, and because people believe that one good deed deserves another. “Paying it forward” can truly make the world a better place.

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​​​​​​​​​​​​Nearly all the students participating in our six Cleveland-based robotics teams grew up in tough neighborhoods. There were limited resources and even fewer opportunities.  But, there were people in our communities who believed in us…  Family members, teachers, adult mentors, and others who gave up their evenings and weekends to help us grow and develop.  They provided after-school tutoring for those who needed it and arranged for us to tour local research centers and manufacturing facilities to show us how science, technology, engineering, and math, were being used to improve the lives of others. Our mentors even took us to visit area colleges, universities, and trade schools to help us make informed decisions about our futures after we finish high school. These amazing people opened doors for us to possible careers that we didn’t even know existed.  They never asked us to pay them back, but they did challenge us to do what we could to make the world a better place. 

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So, to honor those who did so much for us, our six teams are paying it forward through various service projects designed to improve the lives of young people locally, and in communities around the globe. You can learn more about how we are paying it forward, by reading about our various service projects below.

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH (All Teams)

As members of the FIRST® community, our FRC teams are actively promoting STEM throughout the Greater Cleveland area. Our team members facilitate STEM workshops for children at local libraries, community centers, and area summer camps.

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GIRLS 4 GIRLS (An initiative led by Team #9643)

“Girls 4 Girls” is the name of the service project developed by the members of FRC Team #9643 (Lady VOLTAGE), a community-based, all-girls, high school robotics team from Cleveland, OH.  In addition to building and competing in robotics, the team actively works to promote Gender Equality, Education, and Empowerment.  The team also seeks to highlight health-related issues affecting women and children.

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HANDS ACROSS BORDERS (An initiative led by Team #8222)

FIRST® is more than just robots. When American inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® in 1992, he set out to build a culture where scientists and engineers are just as respected and celebrated as professional athletes are. He also wanted to inspire generations of young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators.

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