About Us
We are the High Desert Droids, a group of highly motivated high school students with a shared interest in technology and in promoting the message of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to the encouragement of engineering and technology in young people. For the past nine years, we have been competing in FIRST competitions across the country. Our team meets at Mountain View High School in Bend, Oregon and consists of members from all three major high schools in Bend. Bend is located in Central Oregon and we help all of the LEGO teams in our area.
Our Philosophy
Our team is structured differently from most other teams in the FIRST competitions. We are almost completely student-run: our two mentors act mainly as advisors and facilitators. The students organize events, design and construct the robot, produce the animations, and create all team paraphernalia and publications, including the website. This means we all have to work harder and learn more for our team to be successful.
What We Do
Every year we design and create a robot, which we then take to tournaments to compete with teams from all over the United States; last year we participated in the national competition in Atlanta, Georgia. However, our involvement in FIRST is not all about competing in tournaments. We are very focused on spreading the mission of FIRST throughout our community. We present our robot at community events such as the Bend Fall Fest and the Pumpkin Fest to encourage children to take an interest in science and technology. To further this goal, we also help local LEGO robotics teams design their robots and construct their pits; in addition our team provides much of the manpower for their regional LEGO competition. Since we are the only FIRST Robotics team in the area, the tournament's success depends on our participation.
Mascot
Our mascot, a robot made out of common household items and manned by one of our members, reminds everyone that FIRST is not only about learning essential skills, but also about having fun in science-related ways.
Accomplishments: