[MEMOS] FRC Mentor Memos, July 2025

Sam Spain
Jul 18
2 min read

Summer fun at the NEMC!

The New England Mentor Conference is BACK at WPI! Join us for a day and a half of collaborative learning and mentor development. Presenters represent teams from all over the country, industry partners, and even FIRST HQ. Starting August 1 with an evening meet + greet, we have a day and a half of sessions and workshops August 2–3, with a Saturday social at Bowlero Worcester and a Sunday BBQ at WPI. Plus swag, free t-shirts...what more could you want from another robotics weekend?

CONFERENCE DETAILS + REGISTRATION

Sneak peek: 2026 FRC REBUILT season in New England

Event leaders from all over the district are in contact with competition venues to create the best 2026 FRC season. Before the official schedule is published in September, we can share that we're targeting 12 district events in 5 weeks: 1 in Maine, 1 in Vermont, 1 in Rhode Island, 2 in Connecticut, 2 in New Hampshire, and 5 in Massachusetts! Here are the general dates for each week (notice the FREE weekend before DCMP!):

Kickoff: January 10, 2026
Week 1: March 5–8, 2026
Week 2: March 12–15, 2026
Week 3: March 19–22, 2026
Week 4: March 26–29, 2026
Week 5: April 2–5, 2026
District Championship: April 15–18, 2026 @ The Big E
FIRST Championship: April 29–May 2, 2026 @ HTX

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FALL OFF-SEASON!

Welcome: FSM for Massachusetts, Katie Bonner!

FIRST Senior Mentors (FSMs) recruit and support teams, mentors, coaches, and volunteers while expanding and deepening both the awareness and exposure of the progression of FIRST programs.

Katie Bonner has been a business mentor with FRC 6328 since 2016, and has been on the Littleton Robotics Board of Directors since 2017, serving as their Board President from 2017–23. She often volunteers at FRC and FLL events around New England and is a parent of two FIRST alumni (classes of 2020 / 2023). Professionally, Katie works in nonprofit administration for The Decibels Foundation and previously worked in corporate communications and technical documentation in a variety of industries.

Katie joins our other amazing FSMs:

💙 Stacey Hilton, Connecticut

❤️ Jamee Luce, Maine

💙 Ken St. Hilaire, New Hampshire

❤️ Scott McCalla, Vermont

Special thank you to Liz Calef, our retiring Senior Mentor for MA/RI!

GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FSM

Pre-order: your very own WE ARE NE banner!

Pre-order your banner for fall 2025 and show your support for FIRST in New England! Banners are 2' x 2' square with 5 color/background options and grommets in each corner. Display this banner in your pit, build space or home, or pack it for photo ops throughout the year! Banners will be ordered 2-3 times per year and distributed at NE FIRST events throughout the off-season and FIRST AGE REBUILT competitions.

PLACE YOUR ORDER