impact all aspects of creation by fulfilling our God-given potential

It all started when...

A group of Westminster students interested in STEM formed a club in 2010. Several members dedicated themselves to starting a robotics team and chose to join the FRC community in 2011.

Thanks to a grant from Boeing, 4256 quickly organized itself and grew to include 27 aspiring engineers in just a few months. Anxious to get started, these students entered the 2012 St. Louis Regional and won the Rookie All-Star award.

With numerous outreach efforts and yearly success on the field, 4256 has tripled in size. Though our team continues to evolve, our purpose remains the same; we strive to use robotics as an agent of community improvement and a canvas for self-expression.

Mission

"to cultivate relationships, put self last, and reach full potential while working in a cohesive community to build our best robot"

In the past, leaders reflected on the team's raison d'être and distilled it, sculpting it until it emphasized 4256's STEM roots without overshadowing broader intellectual and social pursuits. The result (above) can be thought of as a snapshot of any given season. Veterans pour time and effort into meeting new recruits and teaching them about engineering while mentors and coaches put themselves last as they volunteer hour after hour to make the Cyborg Cats a success. And hopefully, after six intense weeks of designing, building, and programming, our robot is as good as we can make it. But all of that can fade away. Most important of all are the newly forged relationships that can last a lifetime.

Goals

The Cyborg Cats redefine their goals each year, increasing specificity and pertinence for the current season. Therefore, context is useful in understanding our 2020 objectives. For example, our head coach retired from the Westminster robotics program after Steamworks, and the team said goodbye to many prominent business and marketing-oriented members.

1) Foster interdisciplinary Attitudes

To help the team, we must all be willing to do any job necessary, whether it be CAD work or photography.

2) Apply Wholistic Design Practices

To avoid the trap of single-mindedness we will learn to listen to and incorporate diverse opinions and ideas.

3) Instill Resilience

Everyone should be prepared for further changes to the team and nimble enough to take them in stride.

"Robotics gave me the opportunity to meet new people."

Rachel Arndt || Human Resources

A place for everyone...

The Cyborg Cats find a role for everyone, including photographers, artists, and of course aspiring engineers. With six different sub-teams, there is no shortage of variety, allowing members to grow as they try new things. The first few weeks of every season are spent training rookies, so no prior experience is necessary to join.

Click the glyphs below to see a more detailed description of each sub-team written by that team's leader.