Current
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2/16/10
Hannah just resubmitted the animation. After many back and forth emails, it turns out that we had no issue to begin with, but in any case we are good to go again. ~Mr. Sorrell
2/15/10
Hey guys, Chris and I are working out some ideas for the chairman's video tonight, so any ideas ya'll have please send them over to us as soon as possible. Also, hopefully we can get some extra shots that we may need at wednesday's build session, so if everyone going could wear their team combustion shirts it be greatly appreciated. Thanks ~Andy and Chris
2/15/10
Stryker is on the move! Tonight we had a successful driving test, with Stryker moving through the tunnel with relative ease. Awards were also submitted, and lots of other progress was made. Wednesday will be our next build session, and pneumatics is front and center for hooking up the lifting and kicking mechanisms. We have only three build sessions left (Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday), followed by the open house next Monday, ship day on Tuesday, and the student/parent meeting on Thursday the 25th. At this meeting we will discuss logistics and rules for both the Bayou and the Lone Star regionals. Lots to do, but we're making great progress..... ~Mr. Eisman
2/15/10
Great news!!! Aretha has volunteered to write the second Woodie Flowers essay re-nominating Dr. Bibee to compete
at the National competition. By the way, Sam did a fantastic job on our Regional Woodie Flowers essay for this
year's nominee, Dr. Ken Hoppens. Please read what he wrote if you get a chance.
As always, this should be a team effort, so if anyone has any suggestions for Aretha to include in the essay,
please feel free to contribute. Thanks again, ~Mrs. Schrock
2/15/10
We have 32 paid members on the team. Only 29 have signed up electronically on the FIRST website. I have tried to get those present at build sessions to sign up while there. Perhaps the three people that are not registered do not attend build sessions regularly enough. Perhaps they will not have enough hours to attend the competitions. I'm currently not sure about that without checking the sign in book. If you do not remember signing up electronically on FIRST, please see me at the next build session. Some of you are signed up...but incomplete. Please see previous email to fix that. Thanks, ~Mrs. Schrock
2/14/10
Today Team 3337 rookie from Baton Rogue visited the Holladay house with 4 team members and their robot. After a lot of reconfiguration, we got them up and going and brought their camera to life. Rachel gave them a tutorial on Labview, the gyro and solenoid configuration and programming. Tomorrow we will host Team 1852 from Bogalusa. Andy will join us and hopefully get them going as well. Long afternoon but good work. ~Mrs. Holladay
2/14/10
Team, I know this is short notice, but we just recently found out that we can submit our previous Woodie Flowers
winner, Dr. Bibee, to compete again at the National Level.
I would like to thank all of our current writers, Patrick, Aretha, and Lauren for their fantastic chairman's essay
and short answers. They may be tired of writing for now, but if one of you truly enjoys writing, please let me
know. Journalists write for a living, and it is effortless for them...if this describes you, please let me know!!!
Sam is currently working on our Regional Woodie Flowers essay.
If you like to write, but you are unsure what to write about, you can read an example by reviewing our last year's
essay written by Andrew Yawn, who is now in college majoring in Journalism!! And if you are a freshman, you can
ask older team members for ideas and input!
This is not a long essay...compared to chariman's. You could probably do it in one evening! I know sometimes you
have to write English essays during the 1 hour class time, so it can definitely be done! Looking forward to hearing
from someone soon!!! ~Mrs. Schrock
2/14/10
OUR ANIMATION IS SUBMITTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~Hannah
2/13/10
Way to go, Team Combustion! Great progress made during today's build...if you missed it, shame on you! Great
turnout of students and mentors, and good work right up until 5 pm this evening. Animation is complete, chairman's
is virtually complete, controls made great progress, kicker and lifter are installed, pneumatics is now working
to tie everything together along with controls. Bumpers are 75% painted and will require some minor modification,
but should be ready to go by Monday or Tuesday.
Next build session is Monday at the normal time. As of now, just 4 build sessions remain, since our open house is
the following Monday. Continue to publicize the open house to those who you'd like to show your hard work.
Don't forget to bring your t-shirt money on Monday. Thanks to the Hallal and Lorrance families for providing lunch
today. See you Monday. ~Mr. Eisman
2/13/10
Thanks to the Lorance family and the Hunt family for our lunch today...Pizza! It was great! Next Saturday, Feb. 20, the Sorrell family and the Abell family have volunteered to bring lunch. Please contact each other to plan for food and drinks for the team. Thanks, ~Mrs. Schrock
2/13/10
Team, Please remember to bring $5.00 for your T-shirt to one of this weeks build sessions. Pay our treasurer, Patrick, so that he can give you a receipt.Thanks, ~Mrs. Schrock
2/12/10
Some of you recently filled out the electronic form for the team roster. It should have automatically sent an email to your parents for their consent. I don't know what it looks like, but other parents have said that it is easy to do. Please ask your parents to check their email from FIRST and give their consent. This will make it easy for me to print out the team roster from the FIRST site and not require any additional consent forms for the competitions. Thanks, ~Mrs. Schrock
2/11/10
Wednesday was a pretty good build session, with the kicker mechanism assembled and ready for testing tonight. Roller mechanism was put on the robot, and the lifting mechanism is on as well. Controls began attaching their board to the chassis. Bumpers are done with the exception of team numbers, animation is doing the voice-over one their video tonight, and the chairman's award submission is almost complete. Tonight we'll need the pneumatics leads present so we can test both the lifting and kicking mechanisms. With the potential for bad weather later this evening, please try to arrive as near the 5:30 start time as possible in case we have to secure early. By the way, we have permission to hold our open house on the 22nd, so get the word out to your friends and family to come join us in celebrating the end of a long and successful build season. We have printed out flyers for you to distribute as you see fit. See you tonight!!! ~Mr. Eisman
2/9/10
Tonight was a light turnout as expected, but we did make some progress. The last few welds on the chassis were
completed, the lifting mechanism was installed, more work on animation occurred (this is shaping up to be a fantastic
video), and control board installation continued. We have only SEVEN build sessions before the robot goes into
the crate, the next session being tomorrow (Wednesday) at the normal time. As a reminder, we probably will have
portions of a few local teams there tomorrow for controls assistance. Now that the excitement of the Saints
victory is somewhat behind us, let's get back to focusing on wrapping up the build so that we have our week of
testing and practicing.
Expect a meeting at the school sometime between the robot shipping (Feb 23) and Bayou (Mar 4) to discuss logistics
(transportation, food, rules, etc) for both Bayou and Lone Star. IMPORTANT: a parent of each student going to the
competitions must be at this meeting. Stay tuned for the exact date. See you tomorrow...... ~Mr. Eisman
2/3/10
..and to add to a good evenings work, today we received a check from northrup grumman for 2500.00, again a huge thank you to patrick for his excellent grant writing. it will hard to replace him ~Mrs. Holladay
2/3/10
I came late to tonight's build, and I was encouraged by the number of people who were working and the progress that was made! One of the highlights of the night was that the top half of the chassis was delivered, so now the controls team can attach their electronic components to the board (which was nicely painted by Jason). Testing on the kicker mechanism could happen as early as tomorrow, and the roller mechanism (with the faster motor) needs some minor adjustments and it will be ready to transfer to the robot. All in all a good evening. Remember, tomorrow is a normal build session, with an important 8:00 meeting which will probably take us all the way until our 9:00 quitting time. See you tomorrow. ~Mr. Eisman
2/3/10
Team, We have had 4 mentors nominated for the Woodie Flowers award. Now its time to vote! Please stop by my classroom, room 504 to cast your vote or see me at the meeting on Thursday. Also, there are still a few members who have not given me their t-shirt size. Please do so ASAP.Thanks, ~Mrs. Schrock
2/2/10
We will hold our normal build sessions this week. However, on Thursday at 8:00 we will have an important team
meeting to bring everyone up to date on the status of the various elements we've been working on. It is very
critical that as many people come on Thursday as possible. If you are a mentor/student who has the lead in a
particular area, be prepared to update everyone that evening on 1) progress to date; 2) potential obstacles to
overcome for success; and 3) (most importantly) whether or not you'll be ready for testing by Monday the 15th of
February, or in the case of awards, whether you'll be ready to submit on time. This is crucial since we all
agreed that a week of testing was necessary to our success. Here's a rough agenda for Thursday.
Team UpdatesAs you can see, a lot to cover. If anyone has additional items they would like to add, e-mail me at eisman82@hotmail.com or let me know tomorrow or Thursday at the build session. Remember, the robot goes in the crate three weeks from today, and one week of that is Mardi Gras! See you soon...~Mr. Eisman
Chassis (including making 2 sets of bumpers)
Challenge (both kicker mechanism and hanger mechanism)
Controls (remember, we need to give them time to wire everything)
Autocad (animation and 3D visualization)
Chairman's Award (write-up, video and speakers for Bayou)
Woodie Flower's Award
Website
Misc
Remaining work schedule (additional build sessions?)
Houston hotel reservations
Open house (planned for Monday, February 22nd)
Crate preparation for shipping
Strategy/competition team selection
2/1/10
Today it came to my attention that there are people on the email list that were added when maybe students or mentors that were still deciding to be on the team. If you are not a team member, please let rachel know at Rachel.holladay@gmail.com Also remember that your email address may not make it obvious as to who you are. We would like to keep our email and rosters up to date. Thanks ~Mrs. Holladay
1/31/10
Saturday's progress was pretty good, considering a smaller than usual group for a weekend build session. The biggest
news of the day was that we successfully tested the roller mechanism on the prototype robot. This is the
same mechanism that will be transferred to the actual robot. Thanks to all who assisted in that effort.
Also, Mr. Ken and Mr. Barry, Sam and Kyle (if I missed others, I apologize) worked for most of the day
cutting and welding chassis parts.
All in all, not too bad of a day. However, we are three weeks away from crating the robot, so plan to attend as many
build sessions as you can. This week's schedule is our normal Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Enjoy
your Sunday and we'll see you tomorrow. ~Mr. Eisman
1/31/10
Team, Since we only had one logo design submitted, that will be our new logo. Thanks Devin for submitting the
design. There were a lot of positive comments about the design through emails. Another t-shirt design was submitted.
It involved a soccer jersey which we feel would be too expensive to purchase. Also, we were not sure if our team colors
were even available in a soccer jersey. That information was not submitted with the design. Nevertheless, we are
considering these shirts for the drivers, if the colors can be found.
For our team t-shirt, we will order the same color with the new logo design. I need for each team member to email me directly,
dschrock212@msn.com the t-shirt size that they would like for us to order. Adult S, M, L, XL, XXL (or other; if you
need a child's size or a larger adult size, please indicate that) Please include your name when you submit your size.
Please do so ASAP. We need to order these shirts soon. Our competition is at the beginning of March, and Monday is
February 1!
Another matter. Lauren wanted to have another student meeting on Saturday to nominate a mentor for the Woodie Flowers
Award. We need to begin the essay for the awards submission very soon. Because of the poor student attendance on
Saturday, she was unable to have the meeting. Once again, please email me directly, dschrock212@msn.com with your
nomination for the Woodie Flowers Award. Please do not reply to this email because it will go to the entire team,
including mentors.Because I am not familiar with your email addresses, please include your name with your nomination. Once I get nominations, we will vote, either at the build sessions, or by email submitted directly to me.
Thank you. ~Mrs. Schrock
1/28/10
Wednesday and Thursday build sessions were fairly productive, with fewer people than at last week's sessions. We are approaching the halfway point of the build season, and we need to "kick it up a notch." We all need to focus on making real progress over the next several days, and for those of you who have been waiting to see a robot emerge before your very eyes, get ready. It will take work from each and every one of us to get us down that path. We have done a fair bit of socializing at the last few meetings, but now it's time to get our game faces on. Friday (tomorrow) we will have a session at the Hoppen's house starting at 3:00pm. At a minimum, build captains should be there, but anyone else who wants to contribute should also be there. Again, it's not a time for standing around or being a distraction; the mentors will teach you as well as keep you busy with tasks that directly contribute to building the robot. Then on Saturday, from 8 am until 10 am, we'll continue at the Hoppens house. Some of you can break away at 10 and head to PSI, where we will have our usual Saturday session, and others may make more progress staying at the Hoppen's. We will all meet up at PSI around noon so that we can assess where we are and make the best use of our afternoon build. By the close of business Saturday, we need a chassis built, with wheels and motors being assembled, a kicking mechanism being ready to test and a roller system ready for installation. Controls team need time to work their issues getting components onto the robot, and bumpers are in the process of being assembled as well. Lots to do over the next 48 hours, and it will take all of us to make it happen. See you soon... ~Mr. Eisman
1/27/10
Tonight Rachel and I went to help team 1852 in bogalusa. Made some new friends, spent 4 hours there, Rachel helped them get their drive programmed and running. I think we will be helping them again with their kicker. Long day but good work. ~Mrs. Holladay
1/25/10
Team, If you choose to work off site at the Hoppens house, please remember to bring your permission letter signed by your parent. I have received permission letters from: Zachary Collins, Chris Collins, Juan C., Sam Holladay, Rachel Holladay. You may give your signed permission letter to Dr. Hoppens. If you lost it, he has extra copies. Thank you, Mrs. Schrock
1/25/10
Good session last night, including a brief by Dr. Bibee on how our kicking mechanism will function. We have added an extra build session today (Tuesday) at the Hoppens house to begin cutting parts and doing some welding. It will be from 3:30pm until around 9:00 pm. We will be at PSI/Qinetiq on Wednesday and Thursday at the usual times, back to the Hoppens on Friday for a build session, and then close out this week with our normal 10-4 build session at PSI. As you can see, the frequency of our sessions increases as we get closer to our deadline. We have decided how we will work our Haiti relief fund drive. If you desire, we are asking students/mentors to make a personal donation (rather than doing some kind of fundraiser). There is no obligation, but if you would like to donate, please give your money to me or Mrs Holladay before this Saturday, at which point we will forward whatever amount we have collected and send it. See you soon... ~Mr. Eisman
1/24/10
Thanks to all who attended the design session yesterday morning at the Hoppen's house. It led into a successful
build session, where we continued to work on the field elements, the lifting mechanism team made good strides,
Mr. Erminger set-up and tested the welding station, chassis team was on the cusp of building, the roller mechanism
was prototyped, etc, etc. Lots of other things, too...suffice it to say that we are picking up momentum. Next
build session is Monday from 5:30 - 9. The hope is by the end of this week we should have a rolling chassis, with
the kicking mechanism and hanging mechanism not far behind.
Students: if your parents are not on this e-mail distribution list, talk to them about the topic below in the next
day or so. Here's the important info: Houston hotel rooms need to be spoken for real soon. I have ten double/double
rooms and five king rooms, each being held for Wednesday (Mar 31), Thursday (Apr 1), Friday (Apr 2) and Saturday
(Apr 3) at $109/night (either room type). Some of you have told me yes already, and some have said maybe. In either
case, please respond to me (not the entire team) at eisman82@hotmail.com and let me know your intentions. If you are
a definite no, you do not need to respond. I need your preference on room type in the e-mail. I will provide this list
to the Holiday Inn in Houston, and then you should be able to call individually (Lauren and I passed out sheets with the
phone numbers and other info) and secure the rooms with your credit cards. This is a popular hotel since it is a couple
of blocks from the competition site, so we will lose the rooms within a week if we don't hold them with a credit card.
See you Monday. ~Mr. Eisman
1/18/10
Team, Anyone interested in submitting a design for this years T-shirt, please do so by Saturday, January 30,2010. Thank you, ~Mrs. Schrock
1/17/10
the jumpstarters left fountainbleu at 6pm, not much game watching for us, we got the two rookies, fountainbleu and mandeville up and going. long day and a big thank you to rachel and mr. jing. today we repaid for the opportunity to be a beta test team. ~Mrs. Holladay
1/17/10
Today, in the space of 5 hours, we made good progress. At the end of the day, the group came to a decision to make a low profile robot (one that can primarily go through the tunnel), develop a kicker that can get the ball over the bump and/or into the goal, and as a secondary role to be a robot that can hang off of a hanging robot (3 points). Therefore, on Monday, January 18th, from 5:30 pm-9 pm, we will begin down that road. Good job as well on the Jump Start assistance, autocad training, pneumatics work and decision on the autocad animation. All this accomplished, and still had time to go home and watch the Saints pick the Cardinals apart. See you Monday! ~Mr. Eisman
1/15/10
Today we had a smaller crowd but still made some good progress. We put together a list of materials to build a
goal and a tower, made some software modifications, tested a ball-handling mechanism, continued to brainstorm on the
autocad animation, and worked more on some kicking mechanisms. Good job to all who attended tonight.
Saturday will be a busy and important day. First, a small group will be going out to Fountainbleu High School to
participate and assist in the Jump Start. Hopefully they will get a look at the full field set-up and take some
pictures. We will build at Qinetiq from 10am until 3 pm. Note the change in the ending time. Mr. Corbin asked
that we wrap up an hour early due to the Saints playoff game. During that time we need to go buy materials for
the field items and begin assembly, continue controls testing, receive some expert autocad training (we have a
guest providing the training), and continue prototype testing. One of the most important tasks for Saturday
(besides eating lunch, which I will provide) is to make some decisions on the robot design. Tunnel robot,
bump-climbing robot, shooting mechanism, tower-hanging....it's all up for discussion and decision-making. We need
to find a happy medium between a highly competitive, complicated robot and an overly simplistic robot that is not
very competitive. Oh, and this robot will be in our crate on its way to competition in 40 days!
I urge all team members to be there on Saturday to have your input heard regarding the robot design.
If you can't make it, talk to one of the student officers with your input. See you Saturday....~Mr. Eisman
1/12/10
We need to come up with our name for this year's robot and submit it to FIRST soon. Give it some thought, and we can discuss and have the students vote tomorrow. ~Mr. Eisman
1/11/10
Just a quick note to let every know that the Saturday, Sunday and Monday sessions were a great start to what I hope to be an exciting and rewarding season! Breakaway seems like a challenging game, and with the brainstorming we've done thus far, we are off to a good start. Tonight we were able to build a field element (the bump) with major assistance from Kyle's brother, prototype a kicker, start to work with pneumatics, begin some autocad work, test some of the electronics components, etc. Keep up the enthusiasm and great ideas as we work towards a design in the coming days.....see you Wednesday. ~Mr. Eisman
1/7/10
Mr. Eisman put out an e-mail on this date, however due to the length and importance, the webmaster has placed it uner 2010 documents, which can be found here.
