Milken School Robotics

F.I.R.S.T. (www.usfirst.org)

Vision
"To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes."
- Dean Kamen, Founder

Mission
Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication and leadership.
Dean Kamen is an inventor, entrepreneur, and tireless advocate  for science and technology. His passion and determination to help young people discover the excitement and rewards of science and technology are the cornerstones of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).
FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

Mitchell Academy of Math and Science - Milken Knights, Team 1836
Competing at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena March 21st and 22nd

            The Milken Knights have grown over the past two years to become an exceptional crowd of brilliant individuals, bringing together students of varying ages and origins. Veteran team members impart their skills to new members, while rookie members throw out new ideas and suggestions. Consisting of fifty percent male and female students, our team has never been more diverse. Inspired by self-directed learning, the members of the Milken Knights have created lasting bonds of friendship.

            Adhering to Milken’s mission statement, don’t stand idly by, we have helped foster connections between our middle school and high school student members. Last year, apart from involving the middle school in a Robotics class, we have also given a master code (for robot programming) in the San Diego Regional Competition to many other teams that were unable to receive the necessary updates to participate in the competition. The Milken Knights strive to emulate gracious professionalism whenever possible.

            This year, team members worked together to utilize mathematical and scientific concepts to tackle a real life problem. Bringing together students with backgrounds in Media design, physics, math, engineering, and video production, the Milken Knights has integrated the expertise of various students to complete extraordinary team projects. As a result, everyone on the team has learned to respectively communicate and effectively work with one another to complete numerous tasks on a strict timeline.

The FIRST message is not only confined to the Milken Knights. Last year, the Robotics team helped create a “Toto” robot for the school production the Wizard of Oz. This year, many students with experience in the technical arts helped new students create a pit area castle set. Apart from the Milken Knights’ collaborative efforts with the Theatre department, Robotics students partake every year in Science on Sunday, an event that gives elementary school students a glimpse at FIRST competitions.

The Milken Knights are always looking for sponsorship, mentoring, or donations, as this is not a free competition.  If you are interested in helping out, please click below.

Can we count on you to invest in tomorrow’s workforce and contribute to the future today?

Milken Community High School is unique among independent schools in Los Angeles. It offers a challenging liberal arts curriculum, offering more than 20 advanced placement courses, a Science and Technology Academy for science research, a Music Academy, an array of electives in arts, world languages and performing arts, to name a few. The Milken community is substantial, comprised of over 1500 students from grades K-12. It is Milken’s goal to create exceptional young people with sharp minds, generous hearts and kind souls, people who develop a powerful sense of commitment and an understanding of their obligations to their community and to the world.

The Milken robotics team will be participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition for its 3rd consecutive year. It is our goal to compete in the Los Angeles and San Diego regional, as well as, the national competition in Atlanta, Georgia. This event involves 36,000 participants from all over the country, draws an audience of over 40,000 and receives substantial media/news coverage. 

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is a unique varsity sport of the mind designed to help high-school-aged young people discover how interesting and rewarding the life of engineers and researchers can be.
The FIRST Robotics Competition challenges teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard "kit of parts" and a common set of rules. Teams build robots from the parts and enter them in competitions designed by Dean Kamen, Dr. Woodie Flowers, and a committee of engineers and other professionals.

FIRST redefines winning for these students because they are rewarded for excellence in design, demonstrated team spirit, gracious professionalism and maturity, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Scoring the most points is a secondary goal. Winning means building partnerships that last.
What is unique about the FRC program?

• It is a sport where the participants play with the pros and learn from them
• Designing and building a robot is a fascinating real-world professional experience
• Competing on stage brings participants as much excitement and adrenaline rush as conventional varsity tournaments
• The game rules are a surprise every year

The Milken Robotics team is made up of Middle and Upper School students who share in a passion for science and technology and a common goal to design, build and program robots to compete in the international FIRST Robotics competition. Our team is made up of highly motivated individuals seeking to gain experience for future vocations in engineering and business.

Sponsorship from your company would allow us to compete on the international stage presented by the FIRST Robotics Competition and Milken is committed to representing your company with excellence.  Our students would represent your company by displaying your logo on our uniforms and our competing robot that they’ve designed and built.

We would greatly appreciate and benefit from your assistance in improving the team’s overall competing potential. The team seeks funds and resources for the following:

1) All or a portion of the entry fees for participation in the FIRST Robotics Competitions in the amount of $4000 per competition.

2) All or a portion of the costs associated with the purchase of all materials required in designing and building our robot in the amount of $5000.

3) Any expertise you may have to assist us with the design and building of the robot such as mechanical or electrical engineering.

Please note that Milken Community High School and the Milken Robotics team are part of a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, so your company will receive a tax-deduction for your contribution.

We invite you to visit the Milken Robotics team’s website, http://www2.mchschool.org/milkenrobotics. If any additional information is needed about Milken Community High School or the Milken Robotics Team, please contact our teacher and team advisor:

Zed Kelley at 818.438.0851 or zkelley@milkenschool.org