| VEX Robotic Design Systems "The Vex Robotic Design System was created with one goal in mind: to unlock the power of your imagination." |
| F.I.R.S.T. FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs that build not only science and technology skills and interests, but also self-confidence, leadership, and life skills. |
| F.I.R.S.T. Vex Competition The ultimate goal of FVC is to reach more young people with a lower-cost, more accessible opportunity to discover the excitement and rewards of science, technology, and engineering. |
| Our School McDonogh School is a community that finds joy in work, in play, and in the discovery and realization of personal potential. |
M.A.R.S. - McDonogh Advanced Robotic Systems |
The MARS (McDonogh Advanced Robotics Systems) Club was started in 2005 by then ninth grade students that participated together in a NASA sponsored TEAMS Lego competition during middle school. This team had placed fourth among 43 teams at a regional competition held at the Applied Physics Lab of the Johns Hopkins University. The team wanted to continue their robotics experience when they entered upper school and asked their school, McDonogh School, if they could form a high school robotics club. With the support and guidance of Jennifer Singer, an experienced mechanical engineer and current high school Physics teacher at McDonogh, the club was formed and chose to enter the FIRST Vex competition in 2005. However, 2005 turned out to be an organization and team-building experience for the club. Although registered for the FIRST Vex regional competition in Delaware, our robot was only partially completed by the time of this event. Instead, several members of the club, along with Mrs. Singer, only attended as observers, with their sights set on the 2006 competition. In preparation for the 2006 - 2007 FIRST Vex robotic challenge, MARS began organizing during the summer of 2006. Mrs. Singer, along with the club president, Seth Cassel, and a parent volunteer (Gary Cassel), attended workshops on Vex, building Vex robots, and programming them using EasyC. These workshops were held at the University of DC, Van Ness campus, and were sponsored by FIRST and DCRobotics. Therefore, at the start of the 2006 school year we were experienced with the Vex robotic system and the EasyC software used to program our Vex robot. Mission of the MARS Club The club exists to bring a diverse group of students together who share an interest
in robotics. We all want to have fun learning more about robotics, share what we know with
other students, learn to work as a team to solve problems, and discover about new robotic systems.
Team Members and Mentors (last name listed only with parental permission) Jennifer Singer (MARS Club Director) Seth Cassel (President) Max Meneveau Brendan William Philip John Patrick (JP) Jake Bereket Adam Braxton Gary Cassel (Parent Volunteer)
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