For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST)

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) directly served 87,000 youths on approximately 3,500 teams worldwide. Working with mentors, each team builds a robot starting with a kit of parts, designing it to meet this year's music-themed game challenge "CRESCENDO." Each team participated in one or more 2 to 3-day events at 181 locations, competing for awards for game scores, safety practices, teamwork, and other qualitative achievements, stressing the FIRST ethos of Coopertition and Gracious Professionalism. Award-winning teams participated in the annual international FIRST Championship event in Houston. The FRC Program provided students with the experience of applying engineering and technology to achieve a specific challenge under a time constraint. (Narrative continued on Schedule O, pg. 155). This experience developed students' technical skills, teamwork, and the ability to deal with the satisfactions and disappointments of a real engineering project. Participation in FIRST Robotics Competition has inspired many students to go on to college and careers in fields related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Many coaches and mentors work in these fields and help the students develop bonds within their communities and connections to the workforce development pipeline. Students and alumni of the program gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life.

FIRST LEGO League (FLL), for which there are three divisions, Discover, Explore and Challenge, reached 597,000 youths aged 4-16, on approximately 65,600 teams worldwide. This year's challenge was called "MASTERPIECE." Participants imagined and innovated new ways to create and communicate art across the globe. Discover and Explore students built a LEGO model and tracked what they learned in an Engineering Notebook. Explore teams used code to bring their model to life. Challenge teams also built and programmed an autonomous LEGO robot to play the themed MASTERPIECE Robot Game. In addition to participating in local events, teams from around the world met in Houston in April 2024 as part of the FIRST Championship competition and celebration. (Narrative continued on Schedule O, pg. 155).Participation in Discover, Explore and Challenge has engaged students in a comprehensive experience developing confidence in their ability to address real world issues facing their communities, builds their STEM literacy and social-emotional learning, and exposes them to STEM careers. By progressing through each division and on to high-school level FIRST programs, students gain a full suite of technical skills and ongoing encouragement, making it more likely that they will pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.