About the Team
The Techalongs are a "daughter" team of the Herberger Howlers (FTC # 13968, sponsored by the Herberger Young Scholars Academy [HYSA]). In 2020, following the state competition, Jared Schein began working with Girl Scouts as an outreach project for the HYSA Howlers. He attended a neighborhood Girl Scout event with the Howler' robot and generated a list of troops interested in learning about robots .... and immediately after gathering that list, COVID hit.
Pivoting, during COVID, the Howlers partnered with girls in Troop 2256 to teach girls more about robotics and started online badge workshops for troops who wanted to learn more. Then, in the summer of 2021, Jared partnered with Ella, who the older sister of founding Techalongs member, Maya, to offer a robotics day camp experience for two sessions of a week-long day camp. About 120 girls got introduced to FIRST and momentum for a team increased.
In the 2021-2022 season, Jared met Mrs. Drake, who is a founder of the Phoenix chapter of Girls in Tech. Coach Drake of GIT and Coach Diana of Girl Scouts created our brand new team after recruiting a small but mighty team of four. Its name, the Techalongs, is a play on the Tagalog, a popular Girl Scout cookie.
In our first season, we made it to the state championships and we learned a lot about gracious professionalism, teamwork, and, of course, robotics. In our second season, we had three new team members and a determination to build on what we had learned. We had an enormously successful season and are excited to move into our third year as a team.
A key component of our Outreach is that we believe if we persist in exposing our Girl Scout community to FIRST robotics, we will be able to continue to build our numbers. We have had many adults approach us about the possibility of a FIRST Lego team in the neighborhood. Mentoring such a team is a long-term goal for the team and to make that happen, we have been working with council to gain their financial support for such a venture. A sister FLL team would provide the Techalongs with a sustainable pipeline to recruit and train future FTC teammates. If you are interested in coaching an FLL team of Girl Scouts, please contact us!
Meet the Team
Eleanor
Team Captain
Eleanor (aka Python) is a member of troop 4202 . Her favorite activities in Girl Scouts are selling cookies and going to summer camp. She is attends BASIS Scottsdale. She has been looking to join a robotics team for a while and was so excited for the the opportunity to join a Girl Scout team. In her first season, Eleanor enjoyed making new friends and the challenge of coding. Her favorite cookie is the Lemon-Up.
Maya
Maya (aka Pip) is a member of troop 2010. Her favorite activity in Girl Scouts is selling cookies; her favorite cookie is the Samoa. She attends Scottsdale Prep Academy where she is a member of the tennis team. She spent three years on a First Lego League team and was excited to move on to FTC where she particularly enjoys being a driver.
Lila
Lila (aka Harmony) is a member of troop 4727 and attend Desert Shadows Middle School. Her favorite activities in Girl Scouts are eating Tagalong cookies and camping. She decided to join the robotics team because it sounded like a lot of fun. Her favorite part of the last season was competing, but she also particularly liked building the drive train.
Emily
Team Captain
Emily (aka Pinkie Pie) is a member of Troop 2256. She is a Junior at Desert Mountain High school. Hanging out with her friends is her favorite part of Girl Scouts, particularly as a counselor at Day Camp. Her favorite Girl Scout cookie is the Thin Mint.
Alice
Alice (aka Tinker) is a member of Troop 7076, and her favorite Girl Scout activity is camping. She attends Cheyenne Traditional school where she was on the FLL team. She is excited to join an all-girls FTC team to learn more about how robots work! Her favorite Girl Scout cookies are Tagalongs.
Illiana
Illiana (aka Daredevil) attends Copper Ridge School and is a member of Troop 4727. Her favorite Girl Scout activity is volunteering at Day Camp. She is excited about being part of the robotics team because she wants to learn how to build, and her favorite Girl Scout cookie is the Lemon-Up.
