Mr. Hansen takes helm of FIRST Robotics as new season begins

By Maya Kostov

The TPA FIRST Robotics team is looking forward to another competitive year, but they have many new innovations in their robot and their team. First, Mr. Hansen, one of the Latin and Humane Letters teachers, has taken on the task of club director.

The students, parents, and adult mentors have already benefited from the communication available from having an on-campus staff-person as the director. Although Mr. Hansen does not have much experience when it comes to robotics, he adds enthusiasm and a sense of wonder to the team.

Middle School VEX Robotics also is underway. Here, members disassemble last year's robot in preparation for this year's project. — Middle School VEX Robotics also is underway. Here, members disassemble last year’s robot in preparation for this year’s project.

Second, the team has had many new freshmen join this year. Although they are still awaiting the final registrations and payments from members (due October 15 if anyone still wants to join), they expect to have about 20 students, which is about five more than the average! Nearly half of those twenty are freshmen, meaning this is a great year to join because most everyone will be on the same level.

When asked about the new year, Mr. Hansen said, “Since our official season for competition is the spring, we are spending this fall creating workshops and activities which will help pass on the expertise from our seniors to the underclassmen. Coding, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Electrical, Mechanical, and Scouting are just some of the many skills our students learn from professional mentors with decades of different engineering experience!”

Finally, the team has a new shop this year! L&W Machine Co. in Phoenix has donated a totally new shop space to the team twice the area of their old shop. Mr. Hansen and the FIRST Robotics team would like to specially thank Morsch Machine for their generosity the last few years with work space, but they are really looking forward to seeing what a new shop can offer, both physically and mentally.

This will be definitely be very promising with all the “experience of the old and the excitement of the new,” stated Mr. Hansen. This year looks like it will be a great season for improvement. Don’t forget, it’s not too late to sign up for Robotics, just register and pay and you are all set!