Integrating Mother's Day with motherboards, the Becker High School robotics team (aka The Coalition of Independent Students #4607) held its annual banquet last Sunday evening to conclude the 2014-2015 season.
The event began with an open house in the north commons at BHS where parents, students and community members were able to mingle over root beer floats while reminiscing over the past season's successes. Team members compiled a slideshow, and the fabrication team was able to get all three of CIS's robotics up and running for the occasion. Those included Peanut (2013), Gumdrop (2014), and Briar (2015).
After that, the team began its awards ceremony and traditional send-off in which each of the soon-to-be-graduated seniors delivered some parting wisdom to next year’s team. The ten seniors in the program this year are Andre Bombardier, Joleen Klinker, Dani Girtz, Sydney Mastey, Nathan Sydow, Adam Ewald, Tyler Haus, Jacob Charbonneau, Sydney Busch and Emma Schreifels.
The team was also honored to present the Organization of the Year award to Bison Robotics for its collaboration with CIS during its impressive Robot in Three Days (RI3D) endeavor; Sponsor of the Year to the Clear Lake Lion’s Club for its unwavering support throughout the past three years, and the Mentor of the Year award to Xcel Energy’s Natalie Gruber for her dedication to helping CIS make admirable advancements in the robotics realm.
CIS is now kicking off its 2015-2016 year with a handful of outreach events including presentations at Xcel Energy and the Becker Area Senior Center, Green Girls Camp volunteering, and a robotics camp run through the Becker Community Education office.
Team members also thanked their sponsors, mentors, the community, the school district, and, especially the "Robo Moms" for the immense support system they have built for CIS this past season.
In Their Own Words
The seniors from the BHS Class of 2015 had these parting words for their teammates and supporters at the Sunday banquet:
"Thank you to everyone who has supported this team and helped it advance so much in three short years. I am excited to watch what all the underclassmen will do in the coming years and to come back as a mentor to help along the way." - Jacob Charbonneau.
"Joining this team opened me up to experiences unparalleled to any team I've joined before. My time on robotics has inspired me to pursue a degree in engineering.” - Dani Girtz.
"Robotics has brought together all types of students from around the school to form a great group of fantastic individuals. I know I will never forget robotics and the positive impact it has had on my life." - Sydney Busch.
"One of the best parts of robotics is that there is a place for everyone; from our rookie year to our third year, we have been a big family. Although I am sad to leave, I look forward to the day I see FRC 4607 CIS come home with our World Champion title." - Sydney Mastey.
"This year, I assumed the role of Team Captain in the era of LARS, (Life After former team captain Ryan Swanson,) and I enjoyed every minute of it. I can sincerely say that this is absolutely the most amazing conglomeration of students that I have had the pleasure of getting to know.”- Emma Schreifels, Team Captain.
