2018 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 220
BY SENATOR HEWITT
A RESOLUTION
To commend and recognize the Louisiana teams that participated in the 2018 FIRST
Robotics World Championship in Houston, Texas.
WHEREAS, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
is a national nonprofit organization that operates afterschool robotics programs for young
people ages six to eighteen in the United States and internationally, impacting more than
500,000 young people around the world each year; and
WHEREAS, ten years of evaluation data document that FIRST participants show a
statistically significant higher interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM); increased involvement in STEM-related activities; greater STEM
identity; higher levels of STEM knowledge; and greater interest in STEM careers than
students who do not participate, and the impact is even greater for female students; and
WHEREAS, FIRST participants are more motivated to do well in school, more likely
to take a challenging math or science course, and show improved problem solving, time
management, conflict resolution, and communication skills; and
WHEREAS, FIRST alumni express a greater interest in going to college and are
twice as likely to major in science or engineering as other students; and
WHEREAS, FIRST robotics competitions are designed to foster a love of science
and engineering and inspire young peoples' interest and participation in science and
technology; and
WHEREAS, a FIRST robotics competition is as close to real-world engineering as
a student can get, combining the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and
technology (the ultimate "Sport for the Mind"), with participants calling it "the hardest fun
you'll ever have"; and
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WHEREAS, the annual FIRST championship is the culminating event for FIRST
participants with team activities, efforts, and competitions held throughout the year; and
WHEREAS, seven teams from Louisiana, with their mentors, traveled to Houston,
Texas, in April 2018, to participate in the 2018 FIRST Robotics World Championship
activities and pit their skills and mental agility against the best and brightest from across the
United States and the globe; and
WHEREAS, these FIRST teams and their mentors deserve recognition and respect
for their hard work, dedication, commitment, love of science and technology, and quest for
excellence.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby recognize and highly commend the Louisiana teams that participated in the
2018 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston, Texas, as follows:
(1)Torbotics, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2080
Hammond High Magnet School, Hammond, Louisiana
Danny Thomasson, Team Mentor
(2)S.S. Prometheus, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2992
Mandeville High School, Mandeville, Louisiana
Michael Sonnier, Team Mentor
(3)Knightling Boltz, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 5997
East Iberville High School, St. Gabriel, Louisiana
Victoria Hogan, Team Mentor
(4)Redfish Robotics, FIRST Tech Challenge Team 9958
Redfish Robotics Foundation, Slidell, Louisiana
Michael Clark, Team Mentor
(5)Dark Matter, FIRST Tech Challenge Team 10337
Mandeville Junior High School, Mandeville, Louisiana
Tracey Guidry Martinez, Team Mentor
(6)Team Phoenix, FIRST LEGO League Team 3732
University of Louisiana Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana
Anne & Doug Williams, Team Mentors
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(7)The Flying Ninjas, FIRST LEGO League Jr. Team 11670
Homeschool Team, Bush, Louisiana
Janelle Lorenzen, Team Mentor
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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