"To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders."
~ Dean Kamen, Founder

FIRST’s Mission Statement
Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

FIRST Team 2016’s Mission Statement
Our mission is to exemplify and expand the message of FIRST into a new community by making efforts to include deaf/disabled students and inspire in them a stronger interest in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Our Six Core Values
Our team uses the Rubik’s cube as a symbol of who we are. Each side represents one of the six core values our team adheres. We feel these values will constantly guide us towards the right solutions and help us grow as both a team and as individuals. Our Values:

Our Team Goals
-To promote Project IFADS by integrating FIRST® into the Deaf Community
-To educate ourselves and our community about the FIRST organization
-To make connections and friendships with all those we come in contact with and collaborate with other FIRST teams 
-To teach basic sign language to our entire team.

Our Four Focus Areas 
PROJECT IFADS: Increasing FIRST Awareness in Deaf Schools
IFADS is a project our team created to help us reach our goal: introduce deaf students to the world of FIRST. After moving into shop space in MKSD’s old welding shop in 2007, we created a joint team with students from both Ewing High School (EHS) and Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf (MKSD). As the number of deaf students on the team increased, it became apparent that the Deaf Community is in many ways isolated and would benefit greatly from exposure to FIRST.

OUTREACH: 
Spreading the FIRST message and conveying those values remains one of the main responsibilities of any FIRST Team. As a result, we have taken the initiative to make those connections, not only with our community but with the entire world. On top of this, our connections have grown into full-fledged partnerships, making our connections count.

Some events include:
-FFL Team Mentoring/Sponsorship
-Football and Basketball Game
Involvement
-Community Fest 
-Ewing’s National Night Out
-4th of July Parade
-International Team Partnerships
-Senate and Legislative Citations of Recognition

EDUCATION: 
Educating not only our community, but the world plays an integral part in helping convey the messages and values of the FIRST program. This includes initiatives such as continually promoting science and technology in order to inspire STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields among students. In this respect, our team has taken the initiative to further the growth of the FIRST program by not only reaching out and spreading its message but providing the key education to help these initiatives.
Some of our programs and accomplishments include:
-1OO% FIRST student graduation rate
-25% women on the team
-Summer Inventor’s Week/Science Week Programs at MKSD
-Hands on Science Night
-Shadow Day at J&J
-Shadow Day at MKSD

COMMUNITY SERVICE:
Involvement in our community to form an active and ongoing change has been the backbone of our team since our inception. In fact, community involvement is the defining characteristic that defines a true FIRST team and distinguishes them from one that merely builds a robot but does nothing to engage themselves in their own community.
For example:
-We had a coat drive and collected over 40 winter coats for the PAL.
-We Collected eye glasses and hearing aids for the Lion’s Club.
-We had a food drive for a local homeless shelter.
-We had a collection for Dogs for the Deaf
-We participated in Safety Town.
 

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