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Team 1816, The Green Machine, recently held our end of season banquet. This included gag gifts for the mentors, a slideshow, potluck dinner, thanking of the sponsors, handing out high school letters, saying goodbye to seniors, and relating to your question, individual awards for exemplary team members. Theses awards were new to our team this year and our mentors tried to loosely base them off of FIRST awards.

They were;

1. Christopher Miller Leadership Award – This award is named in honor of the Edina student who decided it would be really neat if his high school had a robotics team and founded Team 1816 in the fall of 2005. This award recognizes the student who "creates something out of nothing:" by taking the barest bones of an opportunity and grows it into something more. The student receiving this Leadership Award also showed outstanding leadership skills including effectively communicating with subteam members, student leaders, and mentors as well as patience and support of subteam members.

2. Excellence in Engineering: This award is presented to the student who not only exhibits strong technical skills but also demonstrates motivation, flexibility, and dexterity by learning about engineering systems and processes. The student receiving this award shows strong creativity and inventiveness in engineering design.

3. Outstanding Rookie Award: This award is presented to a student who goes beyond what is expected of a first year member of the robotics team.

4. Edina Robotics Distinguished Achievement Award: This award is presented to the student who has achieved a high level of aptitude in one or more areas and has made significant contributions in those areas. In addition, the student displays outstanding sportsmanship and gracious professionalism both on and off the competition field. With this award, Team 1816 acknowledges the team member who may not realize how much their willingness to volunteer, to inspire and to go above-and-beyond has contributed greatly to the success not only of The Green Machine but others within FRC as well.

5. The Team Chairman’s Award:
The FIRST Robotics Competition is about much more than the mechanics of building a robot or winning a competitive event. It is about the impact FIRST has on those who participate in the program, and the impact of FIRST on the community at large. FIRST’s mission is to change the way America’s young people regard science and technology and to inspire an appreciation for the real-life rewards and career opportunities in these fields.
This Team’s Chairman Award is not for working on the chairman’s award submission or presentation. This award really is all about outreach. It is given to the team member who has best exemplified the true meaning of FIRST. Through outreach efforts, this team member has helped inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology in our school, our community, and even statewide throughout Minnesota.

6. Edina Robotics Outstanding Volunteer - Judges Award Equivalent

7. Distinguished Service Award – The recipient of this award is the student who goes above and beyond what is expected of a Team 1816 member. This student takes on leadership, seeks opportunities, encourages team members to learn things outside their first area of interest, mentors team members, exhibits grace while in stressful situations, and dedicates an extraordinary amount of time to the team with a strong passion for all things robotics.