Stories From Team 1099

Father and Son
Mike Dores was a member of FIRST Robotics Team 1099 in his freshman year. From his exposure to the program he wanted to learn programming. Mike’s father, Robert, is a dentist and knew nothing about programming. This past summer, father and son spent the whole summer learning programming together, even though they have a house that faces the inviting shores of Candlewood Lake. Normally Mike would be out doing things on the shore and in the water; however this summer they spent most of the summer indoors learning programming. During this past fall and winter both Robert and Mike have been coming to robotics and working on the programming aspect of the robot.

The Inventor and his Apprentice
Warren Scott Fentress is an inventor. He created Magneblocks; geometric blocks that are held together with embedded magnets. Ms. Troupe read an article that was written about him in the local newspaper. It turned out that Warren lived in Brookfield, so Ms. Troupe contacted him and invited him to come and talk to FIRST Robotics Team 1099. The students were very interested in learning about what Warren calls “sacred geometry.” Ms. Troupe introduced Warren to Ben Luce, who was a freshman working on the animation for the team. When Warren saw Ben’s work he asked if he would like to work for him. Ben has been working for Warren for a year now and is working on the animation for this year’s entry.

Where there is a Will, There is a Way
Christopher Johnson is a seventh grade and attends Whisconier Middle School in Brookfield. Chris has loved robots from an early age. “He wanted to get involved in robotics in the worst way. He learned that there was a Lego Robotic based program for 5th and 6th graders offered through the Brookfield Park and Rec, but he wanted more,” stated his mother, Louise Johnson.

Chris and his mother contacted his Guidance Counselor and asked if he knew of anything else for Chris. His guidance counselor recommended that he contact Ms. Troupe, who is the Director of FIRST Robotics Team 1099. They contacted her and she invited them to come and visit the team. From then on, Chris became a member of the team and participated in all the activities. He found out that he likes learning about animation and brainstorming ideas about the robot design. Chris now is taking an online course at Naugatuck Valley Community College learning FLASH® animation. His mother is is also taking classes on FLASH® and DREAMWEAVER®.