BayToday Picture Play Gallery: gracious professionalism

Gracious in winning, gracious in losing and gracious in the game -- a lesson most people could stand to learn from the Near North Student Robotics Initiative (NNSRI 1305) team as they embody the principals of FIRST.

“Their motto is gracious professionalism and when you see the team in action it is a very humbling experience, they truly are gracious professionals,” says NNSRI parent Maureen Clout when describing the program.

FIRST is a unique competition that sees teams design, build and use a robot in a fierce competition, all the while learning the finer attributes of science, technology, business and positive leadership.

“It is one of the best experiences of my daughter's life. She has done a lot of things over the years, but nothing seems to encompass the team building, academic attributes, and fun environment better than NNSRI,” states Clout.

“She has grown as an individual and the skills developed stay with her for a lifetime. I marvel at how one minute the kids can be learning to use a complicated piece of machinery, and then next they are writing an essay and then on to fundraising and presentations.”

Canadian Astronaut Dave Williams agreed telling BayToday.ca that the FIRST event is a priceless hands on experience for all involved that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

“For me this event is very exciting … these kids are our future engineers and they have the potential to take us further into space and earth.”

“These kids face complex objectives and work in a cohesive group to work it out and that experience is insurmountable,” states Williams.

“It really is something to think about as I walk around here that some of these kids could be the next generation of Canadian astronauts,” he adds.

In advance of the regional competitions the team has just 6 short weeks to design and build a robot that is sound enough to do battle on the floor in order to secure a spot at the 2008 FIRST Championships in Atlanta Georgia. Overcoming a few obstacles the team did just that, qualified for Atlanta, so heading into the Mississauga competition last weekend was an opportunity for the team to hone their skills.

Unlike other competitions where teams are pitted against each other until one emerges as the victor, FIRST is all about teams working together, helping each other, building alliances and supporting one and other in order to come out on top and living up the FIRST credo ‘gracious professionalism’.

Founding NNSRI program mentor Nancy Dewar-Stenning knows the value of the program first hand as her son Braden introduced FIRST to the Near North District School Board 7 years ago.

“That is why I stick with this ... because of what it has done for my kids,” says Dewar-Stenning.

“I give a lot of credit to Nancy Dewar Stenning and her team of mentors. Nancy has been doing this since her own kids, who have long graduated, were involved. She and her husband Brad are the backbone of the team, and I have never met a more committed volunteer than Nancy,” says Clout.

“She is affectionately known as the ‘mean mentor’ because she doesn't accept anything but the kids' individual best. And she knows how to bring it out of them.”

“As parents Barry and I feel we owe NNSRI so much, there is no better learning experience. I only wish it was a school credit because the amount of time it takes and how much they learn certainly would be fitting of a credit,” she adds.

With energy to spare the team arrived at the Hershey Centre focused on setting up shop, ironing out issues left over from Waterloo, and preparing the robot for competition.

The pit area hummed like an active beehive with students and mentors working side by side addressing last minute issues, but at the same time it felt like homecoming week with former team members and participants dropping by work stations to say hello.

“It was wonderful to see the Director of Education, Heli Vale come out to support the team in Toronto this weekend. The Near North School Board has supported robotics and it has become a true enrichment program for those who choose to be involved," says Clout.

One thing that sets the Near North team apart from others is the fact that instead of representing one school, NNSRI is a regional team supported by the Near North District School Board welcoming students from all four area boards. Dewar-Stenning says she would love to see the other boards start up a small VEX team and get involved, but until then NNSRI’s door is open for all to participate because they just can’t turn away a student who wants to learn.

The team not only draws on board support but they also reach out to the community at large for help in funding and technical supervision. Since its inception area engineers have become team mentors lending their time, expertise as well as financial support to see the team continue to grow and develop.

“The mentors seem to be able to capture what each student is good at and help him or her excel, but that is when there is a twist, they (the student) then in turn are expected to teach someone who isn't as good at the skill they have perfected,” explains Clout.

“It is no secret Jerri is good at public speaking, this fall it was her job to help coach those who did a presentation that have never done one before. The kids who are more experienced with other things will help her perfect that. It is a very empowering learning environment. I love that the mentors allow the students to lead, and let's face it, as adults it is a very difficult thing to do.”

With an event active with hundreds of power tools FIRST has a strict focus on safety demonstrated with the rule of safety glasses for everyone and safety judges inspecting work stations at every turn.

Safety judge Mario Guindon, a former Algonquin Secondary School student Class of ‘75, stopped by for a chat and to remind the students that prevention is key.

The team not only adhered to the strict safety rules over the weekend, but truly demonstrated graceful professionalism when for the first time in the team’s history they were not drafted for an alliance in the finals.

The disappointment quickly dissipated when they realised they could use the time to work on TTOMM in preparation for Atlanta. In the end the team didn’t leave disappointed as they managed to walk away with one of the top awards the Engineering and Inspiration Award.

Now with both regional competitions under their belt the team has turned their focus on Atlanta FIRST Championship scheduled for April 17-19, because they have to come up with the funds to cover transportation and accommodation costs. The team confided that it is their dream to roll up to the Georgia Dome in an Ontario Northland coach promoting the area but at this time it is far out of their reach.

“My husband Barry said that the team worked from the time they opened their eyes in the morning till the conclusion of their 10pm meetings. A common saying amongst the robotics organization is the 'hardest fun ever'," says Clout.

The team kicks off their fundraising initiatives this Friday night as they hit the streets for a bottle drive. Anyone with bottles can call and arrange for a pick up or drop them off at Chippewa High School.

To make bottle donation arrangements or to make a donation please contact Nancy Dewar-Stenning at 475-2341 ext. 8516 or by email at [email protected].