For Recognition and Inspiration of Science and Technology (FIRST) is a worldwide organization whose mission is to show students that science, technology, and problem-solving are not only fun and rewarding, but can provide paths to successful careers and a bright future in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Through the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), high school students are given opportunities to develop new knowledge and skills by competing in an annual competition. Each year, a new challenge is presented to the FIRST community and through the course of six weeks, students apply critical thinking to design, plan, and build a robot, which is then competed against teams from all over the world.
The Liberty Charter High School students have been competing for the past three years. The team in 2015 was the Leodroids, Team #4919. The robotics team operates like a small business that contains both a technical team and a project management/business team. The business team works to establish relationships with the local community and seeks sponsorships to sustain the technical team. The Liberty Charter High School FRC Robotics Team started with just nine students and grew to fifteen students the next year. The team is growing in experience and skill and has done well at the FRC San Diego Regional Competition considering the size of Liberty Charter School compared to the larger technical high schools.