Lots of Updates – 2023 – 2024

Over the past three weeks, we’ve been bustling with activities and have some fantastic news to share with you:

1. State Qualifications: We’re thrilled to announce that three of our teams have successfully qualified for the state level competition! Two teams from VEX V5 and one team from VEX IQ have made us incredibly proud. These dedicated students, listed below, have put in over 6 hours a week to achieve this milestone:

   VEX V5 Teams:

   • Umesh Chandra Maddineni
   • Myra Sinha
   • Avyay Bommaraju
   • Arnav Bodas
   • Abhay Rao
   • Ayushmaan Bellum
   • Sean Foo
   • Vidyut Narasimhan
   • Fallon Griffin
   •  

   VEX IQ Robotics Team:

   • Fallon Griffin
   • Akash Nekkanti
   • Ryan Workman
   • 

2. Regional Competition Hosted: Falkon Academy proudly hosted a regional competition, with over 20 teams from Northern CA participating. This event, hosted locally for the third time, not only benefits our students by providing a nearby competition but also creates valuable volunteering opportunities. We had around 20 students and 10 adults volunteering, and we extend a big thank you to all our wonderful volunteers. 

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4. Conclusion of Robotics Programs: We’ve successfully concluded three recreational robotics programs at Folsom Middle School, Marina Village School, and Rolling Hills. The format change, focusing on programming skills and in-class competitions, aimed to enhance the learning experience. We value your feedback and will be sending out an email survey to parents soon.

5. Build and Fly – Model Airplane Class: Our “Build and Fly – Model Airplane” class in Rancho Cordova, in partnership with RCYC and Mather Airfield, concluded successfully with over 15 participants. Students learned about flight principles, RC model airplane technology, and had the unique opportunity to build and fly their creations. Safety was emphasized throughout, providing valuable insights.
   

6. Math Kangaroo Program: The Math Kangaroo program, piloted this year, is coming to a close with the test scheduled for March 21st. Students received over two months of training, including in-class problems and mock tests.

7. New Robotics Program Kick-off: We’ve initiated a new beginner robotics program at Pleasant Grove Middle School, partially funded by the El Dorado Hills Foundation. Around 20 enthusiastic kids are participating, aiming to build a foundation in robotics for future competitive involvement. A similar program will kick off at Mangini Ranch Elementary School in two weeks.

8. 501(c)(3) Certification Completed: Exciting news! Falkon Academy has successfully obtained its 501(c)(3) certification. This milestone allows us to offer more leadership and mentorship roles to our students. Stay tuned for further updates.

9. A Big Thank you for our coaches – Veronica Griffin, Aidan Anderson, Maurice Velandia, Bob Frogner.
   

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to more exciting developments ahead!