Outreach
Our team makes an effort to stay involved in our community. Read on to see how we keep engaged with people of all ages and backgrounds in South Florida.
Demo At West Broward Curriculum Night
February 15, 2023
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Panther Run STEAM Night
February 9, 2023
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Volunteering for FIRST LEGO League at Glades Middle
January 28, 2023
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Constructing a Shed For Early Childhood
January 25, 2023
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Peer Counseling Letter Writing
December, 2022
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United Way STEM Demo
December 19, 2022
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Panther Run Winter wonderland stem family night
December 16, 2022
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Winter club carnival
December 13, 2022
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Harvest Drive
November, 2022
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Panther Run Trunk or Treat
October 20, 2022
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Homecoming Club carnival
October 4, 2022
As part of the homecoming week of spirit and celebration, our team broke out our famous dunk tank for the club carnival! Various students had the opportunity to dunk their teachers and learn about why STEM is so fun!
Homecoming Football Halftime Show
September 30, 2022
Our Student Government Association recognizes each school club at the halftime show of our homecoming football game! We were honored to walk across the field and represent our team!
Marlins Maker Faire
September 10, 2022
Our team was invited to attend the Miami Maker Faire hosted at the Miami Marlins arena! We came out with other FIRST teams grades 4-12 to show how impactful the FIRST programs can be! While it was a hot one, we enjoyed showing off our robot and talking about STEM.
WBTV Morning News
August 30, 2022
Members of our student Board of Directors went on our school's morning news segment to talk about the opportunities our team has to offer.
Check out the full story here - https://view.streamvued.com/#/wbroward/channelItem/170/46608
Freshman Orientation / Club Rush
August 11, 2022
Leadership members of our team were provided the opportunity to share our robotics team and start recruiting freshmen! It was a huge hit with students and parents alike!
Panther Run Elementary Career Day
May 27, 2022
Thanks to our incredible connection with our local elementary school, we were invited to come out and talk about STEM careers and how FIRST is helping to prepare us for them!
Girl Scouts Demo
May 26, 2022
Our team was invited to present to a local Girl Scouts Troop and help them earn some robotics badges! We talked about our robot, our team, our competitions, and then had the girls build their own robots out of LEGO!
California Pizza Kitchen Fundraiser Night
May 12, 2022
Our team held a fantastic fundraiser at a local California Pizza Kitchen. Not only was it a great way to raise some money for the team but we also had some great food and team bonding!
WBTV morning news interview
April 19, 2022
After returning from our Alabama Regional, the team was interviewed on the WBTV in the AM Morning News Show. We shared about the program we participated in and our successes this season. Our interview starts at 2:40 and again at 8:05. https://view.streamvued.com/#/wbroward/channelItem/170/44424
WBTV morning news interview
March 4, 2022
Before we headed off to our first event, the team was interviewed on the WBTV in the AM Morning News Show. We shared about the work that goes into our robot and what we were looking forward to the most. Our interview starts at 4:22 https://view.streamvued.com/v2api/tab/wbroward/channelItem/170/42800
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
February 24, 2022
Continuing to spark a love for STEM in young women, we co-hosted a virtual event with FRC 7500. For two hours, 9 amazing female engineers from 9 unique fields came and shared with our audience what their job entails, answering their questions about the opportunities their future holds!
FIRST LEGO League championship judging
February 20, 2022
As the FIRST LEGO League season wraps up for our South Florida teams, our students stepped up one more time to volunteer as judges for the League Championship!
West Broward Color Guard Show
February 19, 2022
Our high school band hosted the South Florida Winter Guard Association Competition and asked our team to come out and demonstrate our robot with a flag in it to get everyone excited about the event. It was a great collaboration between our two organizations!
Silver Trail Middle School Mustang Adventure
February 17, 2022
Our team was invited to attend our feeder middle school, Silver Trail, for their 5th grade curriculum night. Our role was to show off our robot and share the importance and excitement of their engineering and robotics programming.
Panther Run Elementary CandyLand STEM Night
February 9, 2022
One of our local feeder elementary schools recognizes the importance of STEM and constantly invites us in to spark students’ interest. At this event, the cafeteria was transformed into Candyland and our team ran 7 different STEM stations! Each one enabled students to learn about a different STEM concept and try it out. It was a tasty and fun night for everyone!
FIRST Tech challenge volunteering
February 4, 2022
After having an amazing time at the qualifier in December, our team came back to volunteer as scorekeepers, queuers, and the field reset crew for the FTC League Championship. With our help, 30 FTC teams were able to have a smooth and fun-filled event!
Chipotle Fundraiser Night
January 29, 2022
Our team held a fantastic fundraiser at a local Chipotle. Not only was it a great way to raise some money for the team but we also had some great food and team bonding!
Science Expo
January 26, 2022
Each year every department gets to show off what they have to offer to students before they select their schedules for the upcoming year. Having much to do with science, we were asked to share with students the opportunities that exist for them within the engineering courses and the robotics team!
FIRST LEGO League volunteering
January 12-15, 2022
Both virtually and in person, team members stepped up to help out as judges and referees at the FIRST LEGO League event for Glades Middle School! Not only was it a ton of fun, but we learned a lot ourselves!
FIRST LEGO League volunteering
January 5-7, 2022
Since we couldn't make it in person for the FIRST LEGO League competition on Saturday (it was the same day as our kickoff), members of our team spent hours each afternoon making sure all the teams were judged virtually!
First tech challenge volunteering
December 4, 2021
Members of our team spent an entire day volunteering at the South Florida League Meet #2! They were field reset, referees, scorekeepers, and queing! It was great to support the other teams in the region!
Girls In stem Meeting - Electronics
December 3, 2021
Continuing our girls in STEM meetings, we focused on refining our skills with electronics and wiring. We then put our skills to the test and drove our robot!
Litchi's Fundraiser Night
December 3, 2021
We partnered with a local restaurant to host a fundraiser night! Our members went out to purchase sweet treats and hang out. We followed it up with a movie for some team bonding time. We local supporting local businesses!
Panther Run STEMETTES Club
November 30, 2021
We went to one of our feeder elementary schools to talk to them all-girls STEM club about the importance of diversity in STEM! We also showed off our robot and learned about why they are each excited about STEM.
Cow Pie Bingo Festival
November 20, 2021
We partnered with several organizations at our high school to host a huge event! Our contribution was to provide our dunk tank in the carnival games area and to facilitate STEM activities! We had make your own ice cream, alka-seltzer bottle rockets, and elephant toothpaste!
FIRST LEGO LEague Volunteering
November 12-13, 2021
Both virtually and in person, team members stepped up to help out as judges and referees at the FIRST LEGO League event! Not only was it a ton of fun, but we learned a lot ourselves!
Girls in STEM Meeting - Coding
November 12, 2021
Continuing to give more opportunities to explore departments and have discussions about women in STEM, we had our monthly meeting focused on coding! We partnered with the high school's Girls Who Code club!
World Science Day Demo
November 10, 2021
Members of our team spent their lunch period sharing our love for science! Partnering with our school's Science National Honor Society, we launched Alka-Seltzer bottle rockets with our high schoolers! It was an absolute blast!
Harvest Drive
November 3, 2021
Partnering with our school's National Honor Society, we worked to collect some needed supplies for our community via a Harvest Drive. We collect over 20 boxes of pancake mix and syrup to go to families in need this holiday!
October STEM Kit Handout
October 29, 2021
Continuing our Botcats STEM Kits initiative! Each kit contains the needed supplies as well as instruction both written and videos so students of all ages can participate! We will continue this each quarter until June!
Panther Run Trunk or Treat
October 22, 2021
We were thrilled to be able to attend our local elementary school's Trunk or Treat event. We showed off our robot, had students build their own catapults to launch spiders into a web, talked about our STEM outreach opportunities, and gave out lots of candy!
Homecoming Club fair
October 15, 2021
This year, instead of a pep rally, our school hosted a club carnival! Our team built a modified version of a dunk tank and our amazing staff signed up to get drenched by our students!
Silver Trail Middle STEM Club Demo
October 13, 2021
Members of our team spent the afternoon talking with the middle school members of the STEM club. We explained what our team does, the amazing opportunities that come with STEM, and showed off our robots!
Girls in STEM Meeting - Kickoff
October 1, 2021
In an effort to build strong connections, give more opportunities to explore departments, and have discussions about women in STEM, we have started monthly meetings. The first one was for introductions, learning about each other's hopes and fears, and of course snacking!
In Depth Morning News Interview
September 17, 2021
Three members of our Council - Kat, Robert, and Tobi - represented our team well on the school's morning news segment with an in-depth interview featuring our robot. They shared what our team is all about - business, mechanical, programming, and strategy! Check out the full interview here at the 3:40 mark - https://view.streamvued.com/#/wbroward/channelItem/170/37250
Making the West Broward High Morning News
September 2, 2021
Our high school has a morning news segment and our team members were featured in a piece on club rush. Check out the full interview at the 3:28 mark done by our Project Manager, Kat T. - https://view.streamvued.com/#/wbroward/channelItem/170/36959
Club Rush
September 1, 2021
Current team members took some time to share all about our club during lunch. We were able to recruit many new members and share all about our program with the students and staff of our school.
Freshman invasion
August 13, 2021
Leadership members of our team were provided the opportunity to share our robotics team and start recruiting freshmen! It was a huge hit with students and parents alike!
Making the sun sentinel newspaper
May, 2021
Due to our team's ability to stay active this season, despite the pandemic, we were recognized by our local community magazine. The article explained our team and the increased impact we are having even in 2020! You can find the article here -
Making the hollywood Magazine
May, 2021
Due to our team's ability to stay active this season, despite the pandemic, we were recognized by our local community magazine. The article explained our team and the increased impact we are having even in 2020! You can find the article here - https://issuu.com/ourcityweston/docs/hwd_0521_a2b3d68e7e35e1
STEM Kits & other supplies to Panther Run elementary
March, 2021
Making a lasting connection with another local elementary school, our team met with the 4th & 5th grade gifted teacher who places a large emphasis on STEM in her classroom. We worked to develop custom 36 STEM kits to help reinforce the concepts she is teaching. In addition, we will be donating various STEM supplies for her lab this summer. These items include a 3D printer, various recyclables, and other technology items.
STEM Kits to silver lakes elementary
February, 2021
Having partnered with Silver Lakes Elementary after-school care last year to do STEM activities in person, our team wanted to continue this but in a COVID-friendly manner. Thanks to the donation from a local partner, Bryan's Auction, we were able to provide them with 20+ kits at no cost to them! Now there students can have access to STEM safely in their homes!
STEM Kits
October-May, 2020-2021
This month, we launched our Botcats STEM Kits initiative. Our goal is to make sure youth in our community still have access to hands-on STEM activities while they are staying safe at home. We developed a series of activities for each month until the end of the school year. Each kit contains the needed supplies as well as instruction both written and videos so students of all ages can participate! Check out our STEM Kits page for more information.
Desk Shields
October, 2020
As schools began to reopen for face to face instruction, many teachers reached out to us to ask for a shield to place on their desk to help keep them and students safe. Our team was happy to assist! We created a design, a materials list, and constructed 8 shields for the science department of our high school! All at no cost to our amazing teachers!
A BIG thank you to our local Lowe's for their discount on our materials! With their support we were able to make more shields for less cost!
Learning about opportunities
July 14th & 16th, 2020
Even with COVID keeping us from meeting in person, our team is determined to think of ways to engage with our community. We met with FRC 1939 & FRC 4118 to learn about the GoBabyGo and FIRSTwithAT programs they run. It inspired us to look into replicating the efforts for students in need in our area. Stay tuned to see what big things we will bring to our community this fall!
yearbook
July, 2020
Our team was honored with a fantastic spread in our yearbook! They interviewed our students to get to know what our team was about, how we operate, and what opportunities we provide to our students.
Motorola internship
June, 2020
Thanks to our sponsor Motorola Solutions, members of our team were offered the opportunity to participate in a virtual internship where the focus of the program this year will be SafeSchools - a Motorola Solutions program specifically focused on our customers in the Education Industry. Students teamed up into groups of 10. Student groups consisted of different age groups and schools. Our students worked hard to develop numerous solutions to the unfortunate problems we currently face in schools. Check out some of their solutions below:
Front Page News!
March, 2020
Immediately following our return from the Palmetto Regional, our team was honored to make the front page of our school newspaper! The story features our mentor and students talking about the positive impacts of the team, its incredible efforts throughout the season, and our recent success at the event.
http://wbthelynx.com/botcats-robotics-team-constructs-a-vehicle-for-competitive-success/
Making the pembroke pines magazine
April, 2020
Due to our team's community outreach, we were recognized by our local community magazine. The article explained our team and the impact we are having in our community specifically with the FIRST LEGO League event we hosted. You can find the article here - https://issuu.com/ourcityweston/docs/pin_mir_0420?fr=sYmEzZDExMDEzMDc
Panther run elementary career day
March 6, 2020
Though our team members could not attend, we were able to lend our 2020 robot to our mentor for Panther Run Elementary School’s career day. They learned about our program, the robot, and how we use all skills they are learning in school to do what we do.
Interviewing with west broward high school tv
March 5, 2020
Since our team had great success over the weekend at our first regional, we were asked to come on the high school's morning TV program to be interviewed! It was great to have people in our own high school hear about our competition and program! Watch it here - https://view.streamvued.com/#/wbroward/channelItem/170/28992
demonstrating at chapel trail elementary science night
March 4, 2020
Our team was beyond thrilled to be invited to the local elementary school's science night! We got to bring our brand new 2020 robot to show off and tell everyone about our program and the competition. In addition, we made sure to let all the future Botcats know about our STEM Summer Camp!
Presenting at West broward high school Curriculum Night
February 12, 2020
While half our team continued to work hard on our robot, the other half made it down to our high school's curriculum night. This gave us the opportunity to demonstrate out robot and explain the opportunities our program has for the incoming freshman!
Volunteering at glades middle school first lego league qualifier
February 1, 2020
Due to scheduling conflicts, out team was not able to meet to work on the robot. Instead a few of us decided to volunteer at a local FIRST LEGO League Qualifier as judges, referees, judging queuers, and even the emcee! Check out the photos in our photo gallery!
hosting our first lego league qualifier
January 25, 2020
For the first time ever our team hosted a FIRST LEGO League Qualifier for 18 teams in the community. Students grades 4-8 came out to compete in the robot game as well as go through judging. Everyone had a blast and we cannot wait until next year!
Another day of silver lakes elementary outreach
January 16, 2020
The first event went so great we decided to do it again! Our team hosted another STEM activity for their after care program. We worked with over 100 students from K-5th grade to design and build bridges out of straws and tape to hold weights. The kids had fun and so did our Botcats!
silver lakes elementary stem outreach
November 21, 2019
Our team was invited to come to a local elementary school to host a series of STEM activities for their after care program. We worked with over 100 students from K-5th grade to design and build catapults using popsicle sticks and rubber bands. The kids had fun and so did our Botcats!
panthers hockey stem day
November 20, 2019
While our students were in school and could not attend the event, we lent our robot out so that our mentor, Kate, could demonstrate it and learn about STEM opportunities at the Florida Panthers Hockey STEM Day hosted by the Broward County STEM + CS organization! It was a fun filled day where students learned about all the different STEM and STEAM opportunities in their community and how it relates to all sorts of job fields.
California Pizza Kitchen FUNDRAISER Night
November 14, 2019
Our team hosted its first ever California Pizza Kitchen Fundraiser night and it was a hit! We have over 200 people come through the door! Not only did they get a delicious dinner, they learned about FIRST robotics and supported our team financially.
Chapel Trail Elementary Trunk or treat
October 30, 2019
The first Trunk or Treat went so well that we wanted to do it all over again! This time we were at Chapel Trail Elementary which is our other feeder elementary school. Once again, the kids and adults enjoyed our two robots, the buttons, and of course the candy!
Panther run elementary trunk or treat
October 25, 2019
Everyone can agree that Trunk or Treat at one of our feeder elementary schools was a hit! The kids and adults a like enjoyed our two robots, the buttons, and of course the candy!
Painting FIRSt lego league tables and building field kits
October 16th & 17th, 2019
Our team members were ecstatic get to build the 2019 FIRST LEGO League City Shaper field kits for the region's partner. We spent a total of 10 hours building the kits and then painting five of the 15 tables all black so they are up to spec for the upcoming FLL events in our community!
volunteering at space coast showdown
September 27, 2019
Although our team was unable to compete at the Space Coast Showdown in Melbourne, we were able to send students up to volunteer. Students filled roles such as field reset, scorers, and tear down crew which enabled the event to run smoothly! We love giving back in our FIRST community!
Joe Dimaggio kids expo at the museum of discovery and science
September 7, 2019
Our team was thrilled to bring our robot and our buttons out to the Kids Expo and share what FIRST is all about with over 3,000 people in South Florida. Check out the album in our photo gallery and on our social media!
FIRST LEGO League coaches workshop
August 24, 2019
Our team was fortunate enough to host a FIRST LEGO League Coaches Workshop. Members of our community interested in volunteering with the FIRST LEGO League program came to our school to learn about FIRST LEGO League, how to be a coach, and volunteer at events.
Freshman Orientation
August 9, 2019
Our team demonstrated our robot to the incoming freshman and their families at our host high school. This event allows us to share what our program is all about and recruit new students.
Future Botcats.mp4STEM Summer Camp
July 16-18, 2019
Our team hosted a summer camp for youth in our community ages 5-10. This was a first for us but our team was able to use LEGO Mindstorm robots to teach students to design, build, and program!
cub scouts outreach
June 17, 2019
Our team had the opportunity to bring our robot out to meet a number of Cub Scouts Troops in Miami-Dade. We explained the FIRST program, demonstrated the robot, and did our best to stay dry in the Florida summer rain!
Miami-Dade elementary Outreach
May 31, 2019
Our team was invited to an elementary school in Miami-Dade to speak at their Career Fair Day. We spoke to students about the FIRST program, how it helped decide our careers and teach us new skills, and let them drive the robot.
Curriculum Night
February 6, 2019
Our team attended the high school's curriculum night. This is where we have the opportunity to demonstrate what our program adds to the school. We were able to recruit a number of student to attend the school specifically for the robotics program!
Panther Run Elementary STEM Night
January 30, 2019
Our team attended the STEM night at our local elementary school. We had the opportunity to talk to over 200+ students and families about our robotics program and demo our robot.