FIRST (“For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”) is a non-profit organization that was created by Dean Kamen in 1989. FIRST reaches over 195,000 students around the globe, inspiring them to get involved in science, engineering, technology, and business. FIRST holds several competitions: the FIRST Robotics Competition (for high-school students), the FIRST Tech Challenge (also for high-school students), and the FIRST LEGO League (for kids ages 6-9 and 9-14). We participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) which involves over 1500 teams and tens of thousands of high school students across the country and around the world.​The robotics season begins with Kickoff in early January, where we are presented a game that requires our robot to perform certain tasks. We then have six weeks to design, build, program, and test a robot and ensure that it follows the strict set of rules set by FIRST. After build season comes the competitions, where teams travel from all over to participate in more than 40 events. Team 223 has travelled to the NJ and Philadelphia Regionals and to Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn more about FIRST and the FIRST Robotics Competition, click here.