FRC stands for First Robotics Competition, and it is a high school robotics program. It serves as the flagship among the three programs at ULS. Liggett's team is known as 3175, Knight Vision, and is the oldest of the 3 programs at ULS. This year marked a significant reorganization for 3175, as they structured their team into three distinct divisions: build, controls, and business. Each division is further delineated into specific sub-divisions, with build overseeing the design and construction aspects, controls focusing on programming all of the robot's various functions, and business taking charge of impact award, budgeting, and other non-robot related tasks. While building an incredible robot is one priority, Liggett's FRC program also does quite a bit of outreach and service for the community. 3175 helps out in many ways, such as sharing the power of STEM with youth in the area, helping out those who need it across the globe, and supporting valuable programs around them, such as biyearly American Red Cross blood drives or the yearly Relay for Life with the American Cancer Society.
FTC
FTC, an acronym for First Technical Challenge, represents the middle school portion of Liggett's robotics program. The FTC team at ULS is called "Knightmares," and goes by the team number 7140. The mentoring relationship established between the FTC team and the FRC team is noteworthy, where the highschoolers can guide the middle school students to accomplish their goals and build their character through the field of robotics. The First Technical Challenge embodies a unique set of challenges and technical intricacies that serve as a stepping stone to the more advanced concepts encountered in the First Robotics Competition. Often, at ULS, 8th graders will be brought up to shadow the FRC team to prepare them for the years ahead.
FLL
FLL, an acronym for First Lego League, is another program mentored by the FRC team. FLL is integrated in the curriculum at ULS, which helps introduce elementary schoolers to STEM and spark interest in robotics. FLL at Liggett includes Challenge, Discovery, and Explore programs. Because of FLL's integration into the curriculum for students 3rd grade and below, about 80% of students in Liggett's elementary school participate in FIRST. This early exposure to STEM programs often creates a sustained interest, leading many students to progress from FLL teams to FTC teams, ultimately contributing to a pipeline that leads to many more inspired members of FRC 3175. As of 2024, our initiative boasts 3 FLL Challenge teams, 18 FLL Explore teams, and 8 FLL Discovery teams, displaying a strong and diversified engagement across different levels of the First Lego League programs.