Norcal Robotics

NorCal Robotics focuses on helping k-12 students learn about STEM topics that they wouldn't learn in school, teaching them in a fun way that ensures that they can effectively use and remember their new-found knowledge. Founded in the Summer of 2019, NorCal Robotics have made a significant impact in their community. In their first year of operation, they focused their efforts around helping bring together students in their community to form robotics teams, successfully engaging over 100 students and helping form 13 new robotics teams. They mentored them rigorously, helping the teams thrive in their first season; the first team they mentored was 1 of only 4 teams who qualified to the World Level out of over 200 teams in the NorCal region. In 2020, the organization adapted to virtual settings, beginning with a 7 week Summer Camp where over 100 students attended daily. These camps helped kids learn about a variety of topics, with each weekday having a lesson on a specific topic (i.e. Mondays had CAD, Thursdays had Math). Due to the success of this camp, the team decided to host further classes during the school year to prepare students for the Math Olympiad and American Computer Science League competitions. Their team of 20 volunteer teachers held 10 classes a week, each with 40-50 students, from September to May. Apart from just hosting preparation classes, the students also decided to help students register for them by creating organization teams. Students can not compete in either of the contests individually, and must sign up through a certified organization or a school, meaning that they would not be able to compete without NorCal, who hosted the competitions for over 180 students. NorCal Robotics hopes to make further impact in their community by fulfilling their overarching goal, fully sponsoring and mentoring teams of underserved students. If you would like to get involved in this goal, visit: https://norcalrobotics.org for more information!