Firehawk Robotics is a team that participates in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. This and each year the team builds a robot in response to a specific FIRST challenge over 6 challenging weeks beginning each January. We then compete in regional competitions in California and elsewhere.
We are the first Orthodox Jewish affiliated robotics team in the United States to compete in the top-tier FRC (FIRST Robotics) competition. Our school is a progressive co-educational Modern Orthodox Jewish high school of about 260 students in Los Angeles, California. Within the Jewish educational world, Shalhevet is known for its pioneering co-educational approach to both regular and traditional Jewish studies, empowering young women (and young men) for future learning and leadership. Students in the freshman and sophomore years participate in a STEM program, Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) that focuses on Arduino-based projects. However, beyond these two years, and for older students, there is no extracurricular STEM program. The Firehawk Robotics FRC team was founded for the 2016 FRC season to fill a gap in the STEM learning experience for Shalhevet Juniors and Seniors, as well as teach leadership and business skills to those students of all grades.
The competitions are exciting games of skill and strategy played by radio-controlled robots from around the world. We are training the areas of science and technology--critical fields in the 21st century. There are opportunities for artists, computer programmers, game strategists, teenage publicists, managers, 3D CAD and graphic designers, and many other real-world occupations. We are seeking corporate sponsors who believe, as we do, that supporting robotics is an investment in the future.
“First is more than robots. The robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills. Kids often come in not knowing what to expect-of the program nor of themselves. They leave, even after the first season, with a vision, with confidence, and with a sense that they can create their own future.”
Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST
