Chairman’s Essay 2014
Marcus Aurelius said that, “we ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee
makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has
borne.” In the same spirit, Killer Bees aim to provide an identity through which inspired students
can change their world in a concrete, measurable manner and build on Team 33’s legacy
through continual improvement.
A synergistic environment that cultivates passion starts at each meeting, where a flexible
schedule allows Bees to pursue a variety of projects and learn from experienced mentors and
students. In 2014, all 42 Bees have fabricated parts for Buzz XIX, and can work on as many as
12 robots in 4 years on the team. Entirely student-led development leagues provide a unique
technical education based on immersion in engineering, where older Bees share their
knowledge with younger students. To prepare for FIRST season, freshmen consult the “Newbee
Handbook” and build a training robot out of the Kit of Parts with upperclassmen buzzing nearby.
This introduces rookies to the engineering concepts used on Buzz XIX and beyond. Team 33
does not teach traditionally or academically but supplements the technical lessons learned in
the shop with life lessons on the outreach, documentation, and sponsor presentation teams.
The opportunities available to Killer Bees are made possible thanks to many generous
sponsors. A student presentation team visits potential and current sponsors to demonstrate
Buzz and explain the return on investments for both FIRST and Team 33. This year we are
giving back to our main sponsor, Chrysler through Project Speedbump. Killer Bees are helping
this member of the Big Three save $80,000 from the industry solution by designing and
fabricating a durable chassis with a “pedestrian” attached to test the responses of autonomous
vehicles in emergency situations.
In addition to our sponsors, our team is sustained by our school. Within the busiest hallway we
have a vibrant yellow display featuring trophy cases, explanations of who we are and what we
do, posters advertising our next competition, and our most recent blue banners. Students can
earn a varsity letter after 2 years of dedicated participation, making FIRST Robotics the largest
recognized varsity activity at Notre Dame Prep. NDPMA president Fr. Joe Hindelang, s.m
states, ”The Killer Bees’ dedication and creativity constantly brings positive notice to NDP.” The
admissions department promotes FRC to prospective students, and we are frequently featured
on the school’s website and social media. Our outreach program also provides opportunities to
NDP students seeking to fulfill their service requirements.
The Killer Bees have made STEM popular at Notre Dame Prep; we are athletes, musicians,
leaders, and more. The school community forms a fan club and wears antennae at our local
competitions, our principal even announces our latest rankings and results between class
periods! To perpetuate this culture shift, Bees visit every freshman science class to introduce
the FIRST Robotics team and invite them to apply or to join the buzz as a supporter.
Our broad school community encompasses flourishing middle school FIRST programs. The FLL
program is so popular that we established an FTC team to accommodate veteran FLL 8th
graders and an influx of new students. We also reach out to teams beyond our campus by
remotely mentoring FLL Team 33 from Oklahoma and by hosting a mock tournament for 6 FLL
teams. This year, a Killer Bee FLL and FTC team qualified to attend their State Championship
events and the FTC team finished as State Semifinalists. Yellow Jackets in FLL and FTC loved
learning new technical skills from Killer Bee FLL alumni mentors. As a result of these
experiences, students say they feel more prepared for futures on FRC teams in high school.
Many of our FLL/FTC students continue into FRC to sustain other local teams even if they don’t
attend Notre Dame Prep, as 93% of public high schools in Oakland County have access to FRC
teams. On Team 33, we encourage kids to progress through all FIRST programs by
demonstrating Buzz and providing student role models year after year. Currently, our team is
over 50% FLL alumni.
Team 33 proudly calls Team 3538 of Avondale High School and Team 5053 of Our Lady of the
Lakes/Everest High Schools our rookie sister teams. The Killer Bees support them with
technical advice, organizational assistance, recruitment efforts and more. We are attending the
same district competitions and will be able to provide technical help and scouting tips in a
competition setting.
Killer Bees aim to bee increasingly visible and promote FIRST in our community, so outreach is
a priority for our team. Sometimes these efforts are hindered due to scheduling conflicts, and we
found other teams experience this too. To solve this issue and to take advantage of the dense
population of FRC teams in our area, we developed the Purple Alliance. Each team provides
students to work together in outreach, and the many hands make light work. In its inaugural
year, the Purple Alliance provided monthly service opportunities to 5 local FRC teams from June
to November, helping to focus team efforts to cooperatively effect a larger population. This
meaningful, STEM-focused service reached over 600 community members via more than 90
FRC volunteers. This concept is detailed on our website for other teams to implement and
optimize outreach.
Since 2008, US FIRST and Girl Scouts of the USA have had a partnership dedicated to
introducing more females to STEM. In 2013, local FIRST teams partnered with Girl Scouts of
Southeastern Michigan (GSSEM) to promote this initiative. Killer Bees planned and facilitated a
badge workshop for Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts with help from Teams 469, 245, and
Oakland University. While high school girls showed the younger girls how cool robots,
chemistry, physics, and programming can be, leaders of Team 33 introduced parents to the Jr.
FLL program. This spawned the creation of 14 Jr. FLL teams sponsored by Girl Scout grants.
With Teams 68, 469, and 2834, the Killer Bees hosted an all-girls offseason competition. At the
same time, Teams 33 and 469 hosted an interactive Girl Scout event where we explained
FIRST from a girl’s perspective and gave scouts a close view of the robots in action while they
earned a badge. As a result of this, a Girl Scout FLL team supported by a local FRC team, was
created.
Killer Bees communicate the buzz of the hive to sponsors, fans, parents, and alumni through a
strong social media presence through Facebook, Twitter, a build blog, and our website. We
have 1,215 “likes” on Facebook,1,400 followers on Twitter and over 25,000 website views in
2013. Our student led build blog provides a comprehensive Bee’s eye view of build season.
We’ve recently added white pages and templates to our website which essentially package
programs such as the Purple Alliance and Girl Scout outreach along with information on
sponsorship, recruiting, and team structure so teams worldwide can utilize Killer Bee programs.
Killer Bees consistently make FIRST loud as representatives of both Team 33 and FIRST
Robotics. Seniors on the team were frustrated while applying to colleges through the Common
Application because although over a million students use the application to apply to many of the
500 member colleges, there is no option for the FIRST program under extracurricular activities.
To address this, seniors engaged the FIRST community in a Change.org petition and have
contacted each member of the Board of Directors. FIRST is now on the list of suggestions for
the Common Application in 2015.
Along with our efforts with the Purple Alliance, Team 33 continues to bring exposure to FIRST
year-round. At the Henry Ford Museum Maker Faire, kids swarmed Buzz XVIII to get their
chance to shoot frisbees. In the Rochester Christmas Parade, we worked with FRC Teams 245
and 201 to build an award-winning float for the 3rd year in a row. Killer Bees crocheted 100 hats
for the homeless and built an ongoing relationship with the American House assisted living
centers to provide technology support to residents.
To continue to develop the STEM culture in our area, team members created a plan and kickstarted a proposal to build a year-round, accessible facility, where future engineers can hone
their skills. This local FIRST “gym” would be established in Oakland County - an OZONE facility:
a hackerspace with full FIRST fields, shop tools, and space for local Jr. FLL, FLL, FTC, and
FRC teams to work and prosper. That idea quickly became a formal proposal. With help from
the Michigan STEM Partnership, the HIVE Foundation, local business leaders, and state
government officials, the OZONE proposal has been partially financed, and we aim to realize
this goal in the near future.
Expansion and support of FIRST programs, blueprints to continue Killer Bee initiatives outside
of our immediate community, support of STEM-focused culture in Oakland County, and the loud
broadcasting of FIRST ideals through enthusiastic students has effectively and deeply ingrained
Team 33 in our community and beyond. Strong relationships with our school, sponsors,
community, and our peers in FIRST have sustained the Killer Bees for nineteen years, and will
continue to drive FIRST and its mission long into the future.
Being a bee is much more than just greasy hands after long night in the shop or a scratchy
voice after a day of demonstrations: it is about the discovery of passion, careers, and futures
that shape the reality of tomorrow. For the upperclassmen, it is the inspiration and tradition
passed on of being a Killer Bee. For the younger Bees, it is the challenge of continual success
and excellence that has been a Killer Bee staple for 19 years. Not only is it a legacy, but it is
also a lifestyle.