COVID Response

FIRST Lego League Jr. (FLL Jr.) Showcase

The Hackbots host a showcase each year for all the FLL Jr. teams in the district, giving students the opportunity to display their work. Hackbots judge the students’ creation and presentation, and also give them advice on how to further take their idea. During this event, the Hackbots also bring their robot to show how far students can go via FIRST. As this event was held at Farmington High School this year, we conducted shop tours and provided additional team information.

Hygiene Drive

For the past four years, the Hackbots have conducted a Hygiene Drive in late January through mid-February. This year, the Hackbots continued their partnership with Operation Common Good(OCG) to distribute the supplies to families in need in the Farmington/Farmington Hills Community. The team set a goal this year to collect 1500 items, a significant increase from the past two combined years. The team has successfully collected over 2200 items this year from generous community members, utilizing numerous locations including: Farmington Public Library, Farmington Branch Library, Fresh Thyme, Sunflour Bakehaus, and Farmington Public Schools.

Giving-Bot

The Hackbots once again partnered with Operation Common Good for the fourth time to help give gifts to families in need during the holiday season. Hackbots members would take a tag off our robot (the tree) and purchase the requested gift. At the end of this event, the team successfully donated gifts to two families in the Farmington/Farmington Hills area. The Hackbots plan to continue this annually as it is a very rewarding experience. ​

HackBoxes

In the past year, the Hackbots took on the responsibility of making donation boxes at various community locations. Similar to little free libraries, the Hackbots created the boxes to “give what you can and take what you need” system to use our giving community to provide resources for the less fortunate. In conjunction with OCG, we made and placed the boxes, which OCG then fills with clothing and hygiene items. The boxes are maintained by the Hackbots, and this year enhanced with technology to receive a notification every time an item is taken so they can replenish supplies. The box is very important to the team because those in need within the community have easy access to hygiene products, sanitizing supplies, and clothing. The Hackbots are proud to say that they built and maintained two Hackboxs this year, assembled STEM activities distributed in the boxes over the summer, enhanced with technology, and they look forward to building more boxes and inspiring others to join the mission.

STEM Nights

For the past four seasons, the Hackbots have partnered with the Farmington/Farmington Hills Nature Center to raise awareness for clean energy practices. Each year, there are around 10 events located at various elementary and middle schools in the district. During these events, the team and members of the Nature Center staff set up booths with various activities geared towards elementary school children to teach what renewable energy is, the benefits of renewable energy, where energy comes from and how to take steps to reduce carbon footprints. At these events when space permits, the Hackbots also bring a robot to demonstrate to get students excited about STEM. ​

FTC Teams - FIRST® Tech Challenge

The Hackbots helped start four FTC teams, the Hackbytes and Hackbits at Power Middle School, STEAM, and Warner Middle School. The Power Middle School teams share a working space with the Hackbots throughout the pre-season, allowing for continuous assistance when needed. The Hackbots often mentor and assist the Hackbytes and Hackbits in the creation of their robots, graphics, and other endeavors.

Detroit Public Television: PBS Kids' Club Live

This event took place during June and was focused on introducing STEM by leveraging the many popular Public Television shows and their mascots. While the event was focused on kids aged 2-8, it provided our team with the opportunity to show how fun it is to build robots, play with technology and combine art with science.