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MHS FIRST (R) Panther Robotics Team Receives Sponsorship from jcpenney

Thursday, January 12, 2012

FIRST(R) team #4341 at Mulberry High School is one of 900 high school teams being sponsored this year by jcpenney. FIRST(R) (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a not-for-profit organization founded by Dean Kamen to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology by engaging students in innovative robotics competitions.

Panther Robotics is a Rookie team that will spend six intense weeks designing and building an original robot for the FIRST Regional Competition scheduled for March 28, 29 and 30 in Boca Raton, FL.

"Having our students involved in FIRST is not just about increasing educational opportunities in science and technology; but instilling well-rounded life capabilities such as self-confidence, communication and leadership," said Stephanie Goar, Science Academic Intervention Facilitator and Science Chair.

"jcpenney's sponsorship represents a commitment to building the future leaders of tomorrow by making youth participation in FIRST possible," said Ryan Champion, Science Teacher and Mulberry Robotics Co-Sponsor.

Scott Reynolds, Mulberry High School's business teacher and co-sponsor of Panther Robotics said, "From a business perspective, students will practice documentation skills by entering data and research results in Microsoft Office programs, and can polish their presentation, communication, and persuasion skills by creating presentations, and developing ideas for current problems. Also, students will learn to use the internet efficiently, searching various technical and educational websites for possible solutions for robot functions."

jcpenney's sponsorship of 900 FIRST teams this season reinforces the company's philanthropic goal to introduce FIRST to more schools and communities throughout the U.S. and encourage greater participation among minority and female students. Jcpenney's legacy of working with national youth organizations through its signature charity, jcpenney Afterschool, helps make it possible for more students to become involved in life-enriching learning opportunities during the after school hours.

Schools, communities and government acknowledge the need to improve the country's global economic competitiveness by increasing aptitudes in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) among America's youth.

"Participating in FIRST provides our students an excellent opportunity to use what is learned in the classroom in a real-world, practical project and exemplifies how these skills can be used across many disciplines," noted Wade Sumner, Mulberry High School's Automotive Academy teacher and co-sponsor of Panther Robotics. "Studies show that FIRST students are three times more likely to major in engineering in college, 10 times as likely to have an apprenticeship their freshman year, more than twice as likely to pursue a science or technology career, and nearly four times as likely to pursue a career in engineering."