Schools administration for immeas-

urably supporting the Newton Ro-

botics Team. Thank you all, and we

cannot wait to start the 2016-17

season!

The Newton Robotics Team, which

includes FLL Teams #4103 and

#13817, and FRC Team #3142, would

like to extend a HUGE thank you to

everyone that supported us during

the 2015-2016 season. This was a

year of learning for all, as there will

be 12 graduating seniors from our

high school FRC team, “Aperture.”

Throughout the season, these sen-

iors have been training our 8th grad-

ers from the Halsted FLL Teams, as

well as the underclassmen from our

Newton High School team, so they

are prepared for when these seniors

leave their legacies with Aperture.

Thank you to all of

our sponsors and

local businesses

who have generous-

ly supported us and

contributed to our

success! Another

thank you goes out

to all students,

parents, and men-

tors for your out-

standing effortless

work, and to the

Newton Public

On April 2 and 3, FIRST Robotics

Competition Team #3142 “Aperture”

of Newton High School wrapped up

their 2015-16 season successfully at

their second district competition at

Bridgewater-Raritan High School. The

team advanced to quarterfinals after

maintaining a rank in the top 25 of

the qualification matches, with Team

#1989 “Vernon Vikings” of Vernon

High School and Team #1279 “Cold

Fusion” of Immaculata High School as

alliance partners. Aperture won two

major awards-- Entrepreneurship

and Underwriter

Laboratory’s Industri-

al Safety. Senior Co-

Captains, Jake Kol-

zow and Lara Pen-

nell, also won the

Star of the Day

award. Katie Nelson

and Liam Oakes were

qualified as Dean’s

List Semifinalists. The

team will now be focusing on re-

cruiting new members for the 2017

season and expanding FIRST (For

Inspiration and Recognition of Sci-

ence and Technology) and STEM

(Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Mathematics) to the community

through outreach events and com-

munity service. They will be march-

ing in the Newton Day Parade with

their robot, “Frank the Tank,” on

June 11, competing at the off-season

competition event “MidKnight May-

hem,” and appearing at the New

Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm

and Horse Show this summer.

Thank you for a wonderful season! by The Newton Robotics Team

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Thank you! 1

Success at

Bridgewater

1

Bristol Glen

Demo

2

Pet Expo 2

“Recycle Rush”

continued

2

Community

Service Im-

portance

3

Recent fund-

raising

3

Team Info/

Pictures from

Latest Events

4

Success at Bridgewater! by Liam Oakes, Business and Public Relations Leader

ROBO-NEWS M A Y 2 0 1 6 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5 S P E CI A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

Thank you for

a wonderful

season!

Season con-

cluded suc-

cessfully at

Bridgewater

Bristol Glen

Demo “wows”

residents!

Aperture con-

tinues their

“Recycling

Rush!”

Robotics and

animals?

Recent fund-

raising suc-

cess!

P A G E 2

FOLLOW/LIKE US!

Facebook:

Team 3142: Aperture

Instagram:

@aperture3142

Twitter:

@NewtonRobotics

Website:

www.newtonroboticsteam.org

TAPinto Newton:

https://www.tapinto.net/

towns/newton

Bristol Glen Demo By Katie Nelson, Administrative Manager and Logistics

Team Aperture visited Bristol

Glen, a local continuing care

retirement community, on

May 12. Many of the commu-

nity’s residents came to

watch a demonstration of

“Frank the Tank.” Most of the

individuals in attendance

were once engineers, or pos-

sessed a mechanical or tech-

nological background. The

team brought with them two

out of the eight obstacles: the

Cheval de Frise and the Rock

Wall. Aperture’s senior men-

tor, Ed Griffiths, who was

once an engineer and holds

several patents, expressed

that he was very impressed

by the robot. The audience

generated a strong enthusi-

asm as they watched Frank

crash over the rock wall, and

steady the Cheval de Frise

with its arms before rolling

over it. Frank the Tank in-

stantly brought many people

to their feet, and smiles to

their faces. One resident said

that he was greatly impressed

by how far technology has

come and also mentioned

how incredible it is that stu-

dents now have amazing op-

portunities in school. A re-

sounding thought was heard

around the room, “I wish that

a program like this existed

when I was a kid.”

recycled bottle caps. This concept

of recycling is continuing (and

should stay continuous) to be

carried out by Aperture. On April

18, Nick Nannery, Cameron Os-

born, and Joel Delarosa voluntar-

ily cleaned up their surrounding

neighborhoods in Newton. The

students decided to step forward

after Nannery had discovered an

Last year, the FIRST Robotics

Competition challenge was

“Recycle Rush,” which expanded

the idea of promoting a green

environment and the conserva-

tion of the earth’s resources.

Aperture helped promote this

idea by constructing a fish-tank

out of a recycled 1980’s televi-

sion and a mural of over 300

increasing amount of trash

around his neighborhood each

week. Aperture also volunteered

in the annual Green Township

Cleanup Day on April 23. The

students continue to maintain

their green thumbs by recycling

properly and conserving materi-

als.

Aperture’s 2016 robot, “Frank the

Tank.” As people strolled by Aper-

ture’s table, secondary driver Joel

Delarosa, visual arts member Camer-

on Osborn, build member Jason

DeClesis, and safety member Nick

Nannery demonstrated a few of the

robot’s abilities and explained,

through a Bluetooth speaker

attached to the robot, the functions

of the robot and this year’s competi-

tion. Although rainy weather pre-

vailed throughout most of the day,

Aperture still succeeded in making a

sufficient amount of pet treat sales

and spreading word of FIRST and

STEM.

Saturday, May 7 was the annual Pet

Expo at the Sussex County Fair-

grounds in Augusta, NJ. Various

breeds of dogs, and even pigs, were

seen accompanied by their owners

at the event. The team set up shop in

a corner of the main building with its

signature “Apertreats,” treats for

both dogs and cats homemade by

members of the team. This year, a

brand new cheesy, mouse-shaped

treat called “In Queso Emergency”

was introduced. However, the

“white elephant in the room” was

R O B O - N E W S

Robotics and animals? By Cameron Osborn, Visual Arts Member

It’s still recycle rush for us! By Liam Oakes, Business and Public Relations Leader

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

Community service is one of the ma-

jor components that make up our

robotics team. In high school, com-

munity service is typically considered

as a graduation requirement, or as a

requirement for an honor society.

Because of this, many students do not

understand the true meaning of com-

munity service -- they only complete

it for the requirements. Community

service has a true meaning to the

students of the Newton Robotics

Team. Not only are we giving back to

the community for the tremendous

amount of support that they provide

us each and every day, but we are

also expanding FIRST and the mes-

sage it exhibits along with the im-

portance of STEM education and

careers. Our students do not use

community service as a completion of

a necessity; they use it to “open

up” (our high school’s team is called

“Aperture,” if you understand the

pun) to the community about the

impact of what robotics has done for

them. Because we live in such a rural

community, our technological re-

sources are not as advanced as some

other communities because nearly

more than half of our citizens are

farmers, which poses a challenge to

inspire other students and people to

pursue a career in STEM. To better

influence and fit in with our commu-

nity, we decided to add an “A” to

STEM, forming the acronym STEAM

(Science, Technology, Engineering,

Agriculture, and Mathematics). Our

community is what makes up one-half

of the Newton Robotics Team, as

their support and sustained relation-

ship with us helps our students be-

come the future leaders in the STEM

field.

the team also hosted a car wash

fundraiser at the old McGuire’s

Chevrolet dealership in Newton. In

addition, Aperture sold their fa-

mous “Apertreats” at the Pet Expo

in May. The team is currently

hosting a First-Aid Kit fundraiser,

which is managed by the Aper-

ture’s safety sub-team. The New-

ton Robotics Team would like to

The Newton Robotics Team is at it

again, spending countless hours

preparing for the next season

(2016-17). The students are anx-

iously getting a head start on next

season by fundraising as much as

possible. In April, the team began

their 2016-17 fundraising efforts by

conducting their annual clothing

drive. To kick off the spring season,

thank every-

one that has

helped to

support them

throughout

their fund-

raisers.

"We make a

living by

what we get,

but we make

a life by

what we

give."

~Winston

Churchill

Spreading FIRST & STEM to the community By Liam Oakes, Business and Public Relations Leader

Our recent fundraising events By Nick Nannery, Safety Member

“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You

don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have

to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You

don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in

physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A

soul generated by love.”

~Martin Luther King Jr.

Since 2009, the mission of the Newton Robotics Since 2009, the mission of the Newton Robotics Since 2009, the mission of the Newton Robotics

Team has been to pave the way for its members to Team has been to pave the way for its members to Team has been to pave the way for its members to

become leaders in science and technology, working become leaders in science and technology, working become leaders in science and technology, working

cooperatively with one another, fellow teams, and cooperatively with one another, fellow teams, and cooperatively with one another, fellow teams, and

technology professionals to promote STEM, provide technology professionals to promote STEM, provide technology professionals to promote STEM, provide

education and opportunities for our nation’s youth, education and opportunities for our nation’s youth, education and opportunities for our nation’s youth,

and carry out the mission of and carry out the mission of and carry out the mission of FIRSTFIRSTFIRST. The unique tal-. The unique tal-. The unique tal-

ents and skills we acquire are for the advancement of ents and skills we acquire are for the advancement of ents and skills we acquire are for the advancement of

our members, other teams, and the community. By our members, other teams, and the community. By our members, other teams, and the community. By

enacting our mission, we will accomplish our vision enacting our mission, we will accomplish our vision enacting our mission, we will accomplish our vision

of spreading the importance of STEM across the of spreading the importance of STEM across the of spreading the importance of STEM across the

globe.globe.globe.

Newton Robotics TeamNewton Robotics TeamNewton Robotics Team

“Make it happen!”“Make it happen!”“Make it happen!”

FIRST FIRST FIRST Robotics CompetitionRobotics CompetitionRobotics Competition

Varsity Team #3142 ”Varsity Team #3142 ”Varsity Team #3142 ”APERTURE”APERTURE”APERTURE”

Newton High SchoolNewton High SchoolNewton High School

44 Ryerson Ave.44 Ryerson Ave.44 Ryerson Ave.

Newton, NJ 07860Newton, NJ 07860Newton, NJ 07860

(973) 383(973) 383(973) 383---757375737573

James Hofmann, CoachJames Hofmann, CoachJames Hofmann, Coach

jhofmann@newtonnj.orgjhofmann@newtonnj.orgjhofmann@newtonnj.org

Demo at Halsted Middle School’s Activity Night

May 13, 2016

Cameron catches Frank the Tank’s boulders!

The three demonstrators of the robot

Spectators watching Frank the Tank defend its stronghold