Archive: Around Town

Code Red Robotics, FIRST® team #639 from Ithaca High School, will be one of 900 high school teams sponsored by jcpenney this season. Code Red Robotics is a veteran team of students that will design and build an original robot in just six intense weeks for FIRST Regional Competitions scheduled on March 9 in Rochester, NY and on March 30 in Washington, DC.

“Having our students involved in FIRST is not just about increasing educational opportunities in science and technology; but instilling well-rounded life capabilities such as self-confidence, communication and leadership,” said Ian Krywe. Krywe, who is a technology education teacher at Ithaca High School, is one of the robotics team’s dedicated mentors. “jcpenney’s sponsorship represents a commitment to building the future leaders of tomorrow by making youth participation in FIRST possible.”

jcpenney’s sponsorship of 900 FIRST teams this season reinforces the company’s philanthropic goal to introduce FIRST to more schools and communities throughout the U.S. and encourage greater participation among minority and female students. jcpenney’s legacy of working with national youth organizations through its signature charity, jcpenney afterschool, helps make it possible for more students to become involved in life-enriching learning opportunities during the after school hours.

Schools, communities and government acknowledge the need to improve the country’s global economic competitiveness by increasing aptitudes in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) among America’s youth. Studies show that FIRST students are three times more likely to major in engineering in college, ten times as likely to have an apprenticeship their freshman year, more than twice as likely to pursue a science or technology career, and nearly four times as likely to pursue a career in engineering.

Code Red is composed of 51 high school students, 15 professional mentors and parent volunteers. Participation in FIRST and regional competitions is made possible from support from the community, including jcpenney, Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), Autodesk, BAE Systems, Borg Warner Morse TEC, CBORD, Kionix, Goodrich ISR, Incodema, Cornell School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Holt Brothers Real Estate, Vector Magnetics, and VFW Post 961.

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