Spring: The seeds of a Bishop Brady High School robotics team are sown when students Joshua Slocum and John Hayes inquire about participating in a robotics team only to discover no such team yet exists at the school. Josh's mother, Deb Slocum, steps forward to mentor a team and gauges interest by involving the students in RoboCup Junior.
Fall: Based on the success of the RoboCup Junior experience, Mrs. Slocum and the students form FIRST Robotics Team 1517. The team is known as Phi, Pi, Pho, Phun (P4) which was a nod to the Bishop Brady School mascot name, the Green Giants.
2005
Team 1517 has a wildly successful premiere, winning the Highest Seeded Rookie Award and the Rookie All-Star Award at the BAE Systems Granite State Regional. The team also qualifies for the National Championship and travels to Atlanta.
2006
The team once again competes in the BAE Granite State Regional. In the fall, they participate in Savage Soccer winning the Most Robust Robot Award. Though still known as "P4" the team adopts a new uniform, red plaid flannel shirts. The shirts are inspired by the "woodsy" character of rural New Hampshire.
2007
Red plaid flannel is still the wardrobe of choice and the theme is extended to include a lumberjack design. This year the Brady team expands their community outreach by sponsoring and hosting a FIRST Lego League competition. The team also mentors junior high school FLL teams in the Concord, NH area. Once again, Team 1517 competes at the BAE Systems Granite State Regional. A second regional is added to the team's schedule, Las Vegas! In Vegas, the Brady 'bot impressed Apple Computer co-founder, Steve Wozniak, and subsequently captured the Judges' Award. The team finished 3rd overall in Las Vegas.
2008
Live "Safety Man" and "Lumberjack" mascots accompany the Brady robot to the arena. Marking their 4th appearance in a FIRST competition, the team has another excellent season. At the BAE Granite State Regional, Team 1517 makes it to the final match and is recognized with the Underwriters Laboratory Safety Award. Choosing the New York City Regional as a second competition, Brady advances to the quarter finals and is awarded the prestigious Motorola Quality Award.
2009
The team once again sponsors and hosts a FIRST LEGO League tournament. The annual event, held at Bishop Brady High School, is the largest qualifying tournament in the state. In the FRC, the Lumberjacks continue to be a regular at the BAE Granite State Regional. For further competition, Team 1517 travels across the country to the Microsoft Seattle Regional. This year the team is recognized with a website excellence award.
2010
This game this year is the soccer-like "Breakaway". The Team 1517 'bot features tank treads for field traction and this tread design helps win the Engineering Excellence award at the Chesapeake Regional. The team once again sponsors a FIRST LEGO league state-qualifying event (the largest in NH). After competing in the BAE Granite State Regional, the Lumberjacks head to Baltimore for the Chesapeake Regional where they lead the winning alliance and qualify to compete at the FIRST World Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. In addition to the Regional Winner and Engineering Excellence Award, the team also captures the Underwriter's Laboratory Safety Award in Baltimore.