If you’re on the team, you need to go register here: STIMS Registration. Thank you!
Team 1209 was founded in 2002 as a way to increase involvement in STEM at a school that offers no shop classes. As a veteran team, 1209 has worked diligently to spread the values of FIRST to its members, Booker T., and the community.
GoFundMe
This previous year we had 50 students on the team. Along with that large number of students, we also encountered some financial issues. This year we expect to have even more students, and could really use your help with the funding. Read more on our GoFundMe page.
This year’s FRC game reveal:
Beta RoboRIO
In 2015, Team 1209 beta-tested the new FRC control system. A team of students and mentors built an electronics board, including all of the new control system elements. They then partially rebuilt our 2015 robot, to test the new control system. As we worked, we reported our progress on an online forum to allow FIRST to improve the system and fix bugs. Overall, we found that the new control system was better than the old one. This was mainly because the wiring is easier, and the components (especially the Robo-RIO) are smaller than the old components.

After completing the beta test, we helped other teams get started on the new control system by giving a presentation and demonstrating our robot at the Tulsa area kickoff event. The presentation we showed can be found here.
FTC
The Booker T. FTC teams are currently dormant due to a lack of resources and an increased focus on FRC. However, Booker T. students are invited to join BSA Explorer STEAM POST 26, which has 2 FTC teams for the 2021/2022 season. The post was started by two RoboHornets, and the hope is that the ties between Booker T. and STEAM POST 26 will continue to strengthen with time. You can check out their website here.
Our Members
We surveyed the members of BTW Robotics and asked what was memorable about being a part of FIRST and how it has helped them. Here are some of our favorite responses:
- “I’ve participated in FIRST robotics since 3rd grade and the experience has truly changed my life. Without FIRST I never would have been interested in STEM. Growing up, I didn’t see many females in STEM around me and thus didn’t ever picture myself perusing STEM in my future. FIRST changed my perspective entirely and in turn, changed the course of my future since I now plan on perusing mechanical engineering and robotics in the future.” – Genevieve Daboval, President, Class of 2022
- “It’s fun, we get to do stuff like build robots, communicate with others, and more. I personally enjoy seeing something of our own creation moving, and knowing that it was fully through our effort that it is moving. The people are also cool, they are all committed to working together to accomplish the same goal, and through that process the team grows closer together.” – Paul Galiasso, Class of 2022
- “I like FIRST because it provides an environment where I can learn about a field that I am incredibly interested in. Every year I look forward to planning, prototyping, building, testing, and refining the robot alongside my friends. The feeling of finally solving a problem that you and your teammates have been working on together for hours is unparalleled.” – Brooklyn Jennings, Class of 2023
- “I’ve always had an interest in engineering, but I’ve never known just how much there was to learn until joining robotics. FIRST has inspired and allowed me to explore the fields I’m interested in more in-depth.” – Sophie Latham, Project Manager, Class of 2022
- “FIRST Robotics has allowed me to experience what it’s like to be in a team with a specific goal in STEM to create a robot with the intentions of learning how to change the world for the better. I admire Computer Science and FRC has allowed me to understand how Computer Science could be used in conjunction with real world applications.” -Patrick Harrington, Class of 2023