Team 571, Paragon Robotics, was formed as “Team Paragon” in 2001 in Windsor, Connecticut as a Loomis Chaffee School team, incorporating students from Windsor High School in 2004, and evolving into a community-based program in the years since. Our team is now composed of students from Windsor and the surrounding area. For the last 25 years, our team has spent our time in Windsor not only building robots, but also supporting our local community.
Our organization hosts a Bottle/Can Drive for the town 3 times a year. We also volunteer at town events, helping to raise money, awareness, and goods for opportunities like Turkey & $20 and Project Santa. Our team also volunteers at local events hosted by some of our sponsoring organizations like the Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, and Lions Club.
Offseason September - January
The offseason is our training period for new and returning students. Meetings are typically on Mondays from 6:30-8:30, (extended for veteran students). We also hold outreach events that students are required to participate in if they wish to be on the team. Every student is also required to complete their level 1 badges to proceed into Build Season.
Build Season January - March
A new design challenged is released, and we spend the first few weeks in January brainstorming ideas on what to build. Our meetings become very diverse, ranging from Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 6:00pm-9:00pm. And two shifts on Saturdays, 9:00AM-12:30PM & 1:00PM - 5:00PM (with a lunch break after shift 1 ends).
Each student is then required to pass a game's rule test in early January to participate in Build Season. We also require students to reach their hour requirement to participate in competitions as well (hour requirements vary on what level the student is).
Competition March - April/May
During the first few weeks of March, we attend our two District Event Competitions. Each District Event spans three days: the first day is for load-in and practice matches (usually for Pit & Drive Team members only), and the remaining two days are for qualification and playoff matches. If we qualify, we also attend the District Championship and the FIRST Championship. These events run for four days, with the first day dedicated to load-in and the remaining three days dedicated to matches. We expect every student to attend these competitions unless an absence has been arranged in advance.
Any 9-12 grade student from September - November can attend to our Monday meetings from 6:30Pm - 8:30Pm at 20 William Street, Windsor CT 06095. We allow any students from Windsor or the surrounding area!