85R22835 JCD-D By: Cain H.R. No. 1860 R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, The members of FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team no. 11524 have distinguished themselves by advancing all the way to the 2017 Super-Regional Championship Tournament in Athens, Georgia; and WHEREAS, FIRST Tech Challenge provides groups of middle and high school students with opportunities to design, build, program, and operate robots, while developing hands-on STEM skills; and WHEREAS, Made up of homeschool students from the Gulf Coast area, team no. 11524, also known as Team Name Wanted: Dead or Alive, enjoyed great success in its rookie year of FTC competition; the group earned numerous honors at the League Championship contest, including first place in the Inspire Award and Control Award categories, as well as second place in the Motivate and Think Awards and third place in the Connect and PTC Design Awards; and WHEREAS, The squad then moved on to the regional level, receiving first place in Winning Alliance to punch its ticket to the Super-Regional Championship, becoming one of only four Houston-area groups and the only junior high homeschool team to advance; there, these talented young Texans gave a fine showing, ultimately ranking 22nd out of 36 teams in their division; and WHEREAS, Under the guidance of head coach Tiffany Franke and assistant coach Ericka Alexander, team no. 11524 consists of Stephen Alexander, Benjamin Brown, Ty Franke, Toby Franke, and Shawn Steakley; and WHEREAS, Through their participation in this exciting and demanding program, the members of team no. 11524 have demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication, and they may indeed look forward to a future bright with promise; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the team no. 11524 robotics squad on an outstanding 2016-2017 season and extend to all those associated with the team sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the group as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.