On September 6th, we hosted Central Vermont FIRST Robotics Day, and it was awesome to see so many local teams come together and share what they’ve been working on. Even though it was raining like crazy, community members still showed up at Greenway to check out the tables, talk with students, and see the robots in action.

We had teams representing every level of FIRST—from Camel’s Hump Robotics (FLL), to FTC’s Capital Robotics and the Robo Raiders I & II, all the way up to Techstorm, the FRC team from St. Johnsbury. People got to drive robots, ask questions, and get a feel for what robotics is really like. Mentors also had time to connect and talk about the upcoming season.

For us, it was extra exciting because we got to introduce our brand-new FRC team, The Outlaws. Visitors learned about what we’re hoping to build—not just our robot, but also a stronger community for youth robotics here in Central Vermont.

We also had some amazing speakers. FIRST in Vermont gave us the bigger picture of how robotics is growing statewide. Greenway Institute, our host, shared why they’re supporting this movement. And our teammate McKenna got up to speak about her own FIRST journey—how being on a robotics team inspired her to study Electrical Engineering. She’s already starting EE classes at Norwich University as part of the early college program, even though she’s still a high school senior.

One of the coolest things to come out of the event is that it looks like we’ll have two new teams forming: a new FLL team in Calais, and a brand-new FRC team starting up at Spaulding High School. We can’t wait to support them as they get rolling.

Overall, the day felt like a big step forward for robotics in our community—and the start of something even bigger.