Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 1, 2014

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 1, 2014 

FIVE QUEENS AND A ROBOT WIN TOP HONORSAND HEAD TO SACRAMENTO 

Monrovia High School Robotics Team Wins Highest Honor at 
Los Angeles Regional Tournament 

The Kings And Queens team members and coach. 


Five young women from Monrovia High School and their rhinestone-encrusted robot won the topInspire Award at the Los Angeles FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) Regional Championship Tournament 
held at Monrovia this past Saturday, the Monrovia High School Robotics Program announced today. 

Along with six other teams from cities ranging from Santa Barbara to San Diego, they advance tocompete with top teams from eleven western states, Alaska and Hawaii in McClellan, Calif., near 
Sacramento on March 20-22, 2014 at the West Super-Regional FTC Championship. 

These five junior class women - the "Kings and Queens" team - designed and built their own 18 by 
18 inch robot from Tetrix parts, plexiglass, and machined aluminum to compete with alliances of 
robots on a 12 by 12 foot field. They stand out not just for their driving, design prowess, and their 
robot's ability to raise a flag and pull itself up on a bar. Heads turn as they drive their purple robot 
"Your Highness" while wearing their signature costumes of purple-velvet-and gold-embroidered renaissance 
dresses. They also spread the word of robotics design as they share their robot adventures 
with elementary and middle-school students around Monrovia. 

Engineer and computer programming judges from major regional companies chose the team from 
among a field of the top 48 FTC robotics teams from throughout Southern California as the "rolemodel" 
team for their on-field success, teamwork, inspiration to others, representation of the FirstRobotics program to their school and community, and embodiment of "Gracious Professionalism," 
the core value of the FIRST program. 

This win is the first Regional champion from Monrovia High School in its four-year-old FTC robotics 
program, supported by company sponsors and members of the community and led by physics teacher 
Tom Dobson. Monrovia High School advanced four teams to the Los Angeles Regional Championship, 
which drew winners from eight qualifier competitions from Los Angeles out to the High Desert. 
This high school FTC after-school program is one of many opportunities supporting STEM education 
(science, technology, engineering, and math) in conjunction with Monrovia's Math and ScienceAcademy. A second of Monrovia High's four FTC Robotics teams, "Team R.E.D.," won an alternate 
spot for the Super-Regional tournament. 

Winning teams in the West Super-Regional Competition will advance to the international championships 
in St. Louis, Mo. on April 23-26, 2014. The Monrovia High School FTC robotics program 
welcomes tax-deductible donations and company sponsorships to help cover the cost of traveling to 
Sacramento and hopefully on to St. Louis. 

About FIRST: 

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST(R) (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science 
and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. 
Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, 
knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, 
and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $16 
million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST(R) Robotics Competition 
(FRC(R)) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST(R) Tech Challenge (FTC(R) ) for Grades 7-12; 
FIRST(R) LEGO(R) League (FLL(R)) for Grades 4-8; and Junior FIRST(R) LEGO(R) League (Jr.
FLL(R)) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism(R) is a way of doing things that encourages high-
quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. 

About the FIRST Tech Challenge Competition (FTC): 

In the FTC program, teams of middle and high school age teens design and build robots to address 
game challenges announced each September. Each robot must be built using only specified parts 
and materials, and the entire robot must occupy a space no larger than 18x18x18-inches at the start 
of each match. In this year's game, "Block Party," robots pick two-inch yellow plastic cubes from the 
floor and deposit them into elevated goals on a balance beam, raise a flag, and grab a bar suspended 
three-feet high and lift itself completely off the surface. Robots compete in five 2-1/2 minute matches 
over the course of four hours that combine a 30-second pre-programmed period using sensors and 
software written by the teams to drop blocks into goals marked with infrared beacons and navigate 
onto a wooden ramp, and a two minute teen-driven period using game controllers. Teams compete 
in pairs for the highest score, with the pairings randomly assigned, and a team's partner in one match 
can be their opponent in another. 

More than 140 teams compete in the Los Angeles FTC Region from schools, community groups, and 
other organizations. Teams sign up each September and compete November through February in the 
region. 

To learn more about the FIRST Robotics organization: http://www.usfirst.org/ . 

For more information about The Kings And Queens, Team R.E.D., the Monrovia High School Robotics 
Program, or the "Block Party" game: Thomas Dobson Monrovia High School Physics TeacherMHS Robotics coordinator (FIRST Tech Challenge) tdobson[at]monroviaschools.net

(626) 471-2800 Ext: 7243. 
NEWS SOURCE: Monrovia High School Robotics Program 


Monrovia Police Blotter 

Highlighted Activity for the Weekdays of February 24-26, 2014 

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 411 service events, resulting in 81 
investigations. To see a complete listing of crimes reported, go to http://www.crimemapping.com/
map/ca/monrovia for crime mapping. For Police Department news and information, visit our website 
and follow us on Twitter. 

Petty Theft From an Unlocked VehicleFebruary 25 at 1:22 a.m., officers responded to the 600 block of Norumbega regarding a theft from an 
unlocked vehicle. The victim parked her car earlier in the evening and the property was returned to 
the owner. The investigation is continuing. 

Residential BurglaryFebruary 25 at 5:00 a.m., police responded to a burglary that just occurred in the 900 block of Norumbega. 
The resident heard a banging noise around his attached garage. He attempted to turn on the 
lights in the house, but his power had been shut off. He went outside and saw his garage door was 
open and three subjects wearing all dark clothing ran out of his garage and fled. The resident immediately 
called 911. Officers arrived and searched for the suspects, but did not locate them. The lock 
on the garage door had been cut, but appears nothing was taken. The power had been shut off at the 
outside electrical panel. The investigation is continuing. 

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect ArrestedFebruary 25 at 8:13 p.m., a driver called police to report a silver Honda had collided into two vehicles 
on the 210 Freeway and had exited at Mountain, the driver was possibly DUI. An officer arrived 
and detained the driver of the silver Honda, who was determined to be intoxicated. The driver was 
arrested for driving under the influence. The California Highway Patrol was notified regarding the 
collision on the freeway. 

Possession of Methamphetamine for Sales – Suspects ArrestedFebruary 26 at 9:49 a.m., an employee from a business in the 300 block of West Huntington felt easy 
when two male subjects that were acting suspiciously entered the store and began to shop around. 
One of the subjects left the store and stood outside and the other approached the counter. The employee 
alerted a customer to call police. As officers arrived, both subjects were outside the business 
and began walking toward a vehicle and were detained. 

During the investigation, officers learned that the vehicle had been due back to a rental company 
two days prior. They called the rental company, and the rental company stated that they wanted the 
vehicle returned and would send an employee. During a search of the vehicle, officers found methamphetamine 
inside a cigarette box in the vehicle. The suspects were arrested. 

Give False Identification to a Peace Officer / Warrant Arrest / Possession of Stolen Property – 
Suspect ArrestedFebruary 26 at 6:19 p.m., an officer stopped a vehicle for a vehicle code violation at Palm and Mayflower. 
The passenger of the vehicle gave a false name to avoid being arrested for a no-bail warrant, 
but eventually gave her correct name and was arrested. She was also found to be in possession of a 
stolen credit card, which was added to her charges. The suspect had her 15-month-old son with her at 
the time. No family could be located, so the child was taken into protective custody.