Team Pheonix News

Contact Information Gary Shimunek

1500 North Pine Avenue

Alma, MI 48801

(989) 463-311

January 22, 2015 Volume 5, Issue 1

Students Jacob Adams Chase Austin Stone Austin Aiden Badgerow Jacob Bailey Bryce Devore Chester Fillhard BJ Henry Christian Lytle Emily Maslovich Aaron Messer Josh Morey Pin Napatsorn Thorsten Niew-erth Greg Rodriguez Sarah Rutkowski Jarek Troyer Julia Troyer Kendall Well-man Austin Werring

2015 Pheonix Members

Alma High School’s FIRST Robotics Team

FIRST

For Inspiration and Recognition

of Science and Technology

http://usfirst.org

Check out what it’s all about!

FIRST Robotics official-

ly announced this years’

robotic challenge on

January 3, 2015. The

name of the game is Re-

cycle Rush. The game

was designed to empha-

size independent mobili-

ty and navigation. The

primary focus of Recy-

cle Rush is to stack tote

boxes located on each

end of the field. Each

tote box is worth two

points. As an optional

strategy, teams can place

a barrel on top of the

tote boxes. The barrel

triples the value of each

box. Additional points

will also be awarded for

picking up pool noodles

and depositing the noo-

dles into the barrels.

This year, FIRST is not

requiring teams to put

bumpers on their robots

because interaction be-

tween teams will be sig-

nificantly diminished

compared to previous

years. FIRST has also

approved and released

new sofrware for the

robots with improved

libraries.

The Ultimate Ascent Game Field

Mentors

Cindy Austin

Dave Austin

Kaylee Bloom

John Chouinard

Josh Frisbie

Jake Hirschman

Advisors

Andrew Cutler

Steve Kettler

Gary Shimunek

YEAR FIVE: RECYCLE RUSH

Team PHEONIX is planning

to implement this technology

as well as the new and im-

proved version of LabView to

program.

Team PHONIX has been

working hard to design a ro-

bot that will be competitive in

every aspect of the game. The

students have been dedicating

time to building field struc-

tures, creating a new chassis,

and programming the operat-

ing system of the robot. This

year, Team PHEONIX is also

focusing on promoting safety

during building sessions and

competitions. Team PHEO-

NIX will be attending district

competitions in Standish on

February 26th through the

28th, and in Midland from

March 19th through the 21st.

We would like to take this

opportunity to invite you as

spectators and supporters of

Team PHEONIX. Team

PHEONIX is looking forward

to our best season yet!

Pursuing

Higher

Educational

Opportunities

Nurturing

Independent

eXcellence

Our 2015 Competition dates:

~ February 27 and 28

Location:

Sterling Standish Central High School 2401 Grove Street Road, Standish, MI 48658

~ March 20 and 21

Location: H.H. Dow High School 3901 North Saginaw Road, Midland, MI 48640

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT CHASE AUSTIN

School: University of Michigan

Area of Study: Undecided

Years as a member of Team PHEONIX: 4 years

How has FIRST contributed to your high school experience and future?:

FIRST has taught me a lot of engineering skills that I use in class and at home. Even

though I am currently not pursuing a career in engineering, the skills I have gained

will still help me throughout life.

Hobbies: National Honor Society, Track & Field, Fr isbee Golf, and Video Games

Chase Austin, Stone Austin,

and John Chouinard construct-

ing the lift mechanism of the

robot.

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT Mr. Andrew Cutler

Mr. Cutler is a new teacher in the Technical Education

Department at Alma High School. He began his career

as a machinist in Mt. Pleasant’s Vocational Machine

Shop at the age of 17. After graduating high school,

Mr. Cutler was employed by Dana Corp as a machinist

for 10 years. While working for Dana Corp, he was

promoted to research and development for 6 years.

Mr. Cutler also worked as an Electronic Technician at

the Soaring Eagle Casino for 8 years. He obtained a

degree in Biomedical Electronics from Lansing

Community College concurrently. Prior to his employ-

ment with Alma Public Schools, Mr. Cutler spent 12

years at Central Michigan Community Hospital as a

Clinical Engineer. Mr. Cutler’s hobbies include work-

ing on his families cattle farm, fishing, and partridge

hunting. Team PHEONIX would like to welcome Mr.

Cutler to the team. His diverse experiences and exten-

sive knowledge are sure to be an asset to the team!

CNC Machine—Team PHEONIX is excited

to be able to fabricate materials for the robot.

Stone Austin and John

Chouinard working on the

frame.

Mr. Cutler, Jacob Adams, and

Chase Austin adjusting the

base of the robot.