Events and Outreach

Here’s a look at some of our past, present, and future appearances in the community.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions!

Collaboration with Cedarburg School District’s “Building For The Future”:

Team 3197’s collaboration with Cedarburg School District began three years ago in the form of team member interviews, mentor planning and activism, and sponsor advice for new facilities, resources, and curriculum relating to STEM, engineering, and robotics in our community’s schools.  HexHound mentors, team members, parents, sponsors, and teachers were heavily involved in CSD’s referendum that took place in November 2018, and having been passed by voters, this district-wide update is now in the planning and implementation stages.  HexHound involvement currently ranges from sponsor representatives, team members, and mentors who are a part of the district’s STEM Advisory Team to presentations by the HexHounds to other planning committees.   Additional information on Cedarburg School District’s plan to implement new STEM facilities, resources, and curriculum can be found here.  

Hexhound mentors and students are a part of the STEM Advisory Team.
HexHound students presenting to the STEM Advisory Team.
A HexHound student presenting to the STEM Advisory Team.
A HexHound mentor discussing the plans for robotics and engineering.
HexHounds after presenting to the STEM Advisory Team.

Rockwell Automation On the Move Show:

In May 2018, the HexHounds were invited to our sponsor Rockwell Automation’s On the Move Show to demo our robots, collaborate with other teams, and promote FIRST.  We took part in Rockwell’s Facebook Live to explain the 2018 FRC build challenge and how our robot worked.

Team 3197’s 2018 season robots at Rockwell Automation’s On the Move Show.
The HexHounds and Team 2830, the RoboTigers, during a demo at Rockwell Automation’s On the Move Show.

#LIVE at Rockwell Automation on the Move!! Highlighting new features in our PowerFlex line of drives. And!! Here with FIRST robotics WORLD championship qualifiers @CHSrobotics3197 and @robotigers !!! #raotm

Posted by Rockwell Automation, Inc. on Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Quick video of both bots climbing.

Posted by Cedarburg High School Robotics – Team 3197 – Hexhounds on Thursday, May 17, 2018

 

Wayne’s Give Back Night:

The HexHounds partner annually with Wayne’s Drive-In, a local community business, to fundraise and demo our robots to the restaurant’s patrons.  We help our FLL teams to show their robots as well.

HexHounds and the FLL teams.
Promoting the HexHounds car raffle at Wayne’s Night.

Newman’s Chevrolet Car Raffle:

During the summer and fall of 2018, the HexHounds sold tickets to raffle off a car in conjunction with Newman’s Chevrolet.  We sold over one thousand tickets in the course of three months at events in many locations, including bowling alleys, weekly music concerts, local festivals and more.  Although we were unable to sell enough tickets to raffle off the car, we were able to gift one lucky winner over $3,000 and had ten other cash prize winners besides the grand prize winner.

Posted by Cedarburg High School Robotics – Team 3197 – Hexhounds on Wednesday, November 7, 2018

 

Summer Enrichment Academy Volunteering:

Members of the team volunteer at the Summer Program through the Cedarburg School District  at Webster Transitional School. There are multiple entry level robotics classes that we volunteer at and help young inspired students.  Mr. Kniess, our coach and a district PLTW teacher, mentors these classes during the summer, widening the connections to the community through the club. The classes typically run mid-June as well as early-July.

Middle school students interested in a HexHound FRC robot.

Some of the hexhounds made a mecanum clawbot during summer academy to show younger students about mecanum drive.

Posted by Cedarburg High School Robotics – Team 3197 – Hexhounds on Thursday, July 20, 2017

 

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Kids interested in our 2017 season robot.

Festivals of Cedarburg:

Our team takes on a very busy challenge of staffing a food booth through Cedarburg Festivals as a fundraiser.  We work at both Strawberry Festival in late-June,  Wine and Harvest Festival in mid-September, and OktoberFest in October.  These offer weekends worth of community exposure to an international audience.  Our robot, sponsor banner, and FIRST’s logo are shown to over one hundred thousand people during these festivals.

The HexHounds’ food stand at the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival.
The HexHound’s food stand at the Cedarburg Wine and Harvest Festival.
The HexHounds’ food stand at Cedarburg Wine and Harvest Festival.
The HexHounds stand at the Cedarburg Oktober Festival.
HexHound mentors cooking during the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival.
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The HexHounds with Cedarburg High School Principal Adam Kurth at the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival.

Pancake Breakfast at Cedarburg Winter Festival:

Additionally, the Cedarburg Robotics Team hosts the annual Pancake Breakfast during the Cedarburg Winter Festival.  Held each year during mid-February, the Pancake Breakfast remains one of our team’s biggest fundraisers.  At this event we connect with families and first responders to expand our connection to the Cedarburg community.  The Pancake Breakfast is also attended by our FLL teams and reported on by local mediaThank you to the following Cedarburg/Grafton businesses for their generous donations: 

  • Festivals of Cedarburg
  • Costco
  • Downtown Dough
  • From Scratch Catering
  • Kemps
  • McDonald’s
  • Olson’s Piggly Wiggly
  • The Cedarburg Coffee Roastery
HexHound volunteers for the Pancake Breakfast!
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Volunteers and patrons of the Pancake Breakfast.
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Volunteers and patrons receiving pancakes and toppings.
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A full house at the Pancake Breakfast.

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Excitement for the Pancake Breakfast!
A busy morning at the Pancake Breakfast.

Set-up for the Pancake Breakfast.

Grafton FIRST Lego League Expo:

Team 3197 is the centerpiece of the Grafton FLL Expo held every April at Kennedy Elementary School in Grafton, Wisconsin.  For the past three years, we have shown our robots and inspired the younger generation to pursue robotics both at their level through FLL and FLL Jr., but also give them a goal to pursue for their future in high school upon discovering our robots.

A HexHound mentor explaining our FRC robot to younger students.

Had a blast at the Grafton Elementary Lego Expo today. Thanks so much for the invitation.

Posted by Cedarburg High School Robotics – Team 3197 – Hexhounds on Saturday, April 14, 2018

 

Students watching and driving FRC and Vex robots.

Homecoming Parade and Football Game:

The team participates in the Cedarburg High School Homecoming parade, which goes through downtown Cedarburg.  The Hexhounds lead the way in school spirit through traditional float-building activities and showcase their robotic and artistic skills.  We use our T-shirt robot, a redesigned and repurposed FIRST robot, to shoot team T-shirts during the Homecoming parade and football game.

HexHound students and mentors watching the T-shirt cannon robot shoot T-shirts at the crowd during the Cedarburg High School Homecoming football game.
HexHounds and the T-shirt cannon robot at the Cedarburg Homecoming Parade.
HexHounds with our trailer, which is pulled through the Homecoming Parade.
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The HexHounds Homecoming Parade float.

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Presentations to High School, Youth, and Community Groups:

The HexHounds have presented to Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, the American Legion, the Rotary Club, and the Lions Club to extend STEM to the Cedarburg community.  The HexHounds also demo our robots and speak with high school students at Cedarburg School District’s Freshmen Preview Night and Open House. This allows prospective students to gain more information about our team.  The HexHounds also host an Information Night prior to the preseason every October to explain FIRST, FRC, and Team 3197 to students who wish to join our team.

Scouts in awe of our 2018 robot.
Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts with a HexHounds FRC robot.
Girl Scouts with our 2018 season robot.
HexHound coding team members presenting to Girl Scouts.
The HexHounds and our 2018 season robots at Cedarburg School District’s Open House.
Presentation during Team 3197 Information Night.
The HexHounds at Cedarburg School District’s Freshmen Preview Night.

 

Cedarburg High School Robotics Team – FRC #3197