• slide1
    About Us

Team Mission Statement

The mission of FIRST Team 1676, the Pascack Pi-oneers, combines the fundamental beliefs of FIRST with the desires of our team members to pursue and promote future careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) and to provide STEAM education for our community. Our goal is to operate as a cohesive team, competing with Gracious Professionalism under the guise of FIRST and developing our students’ abilities to inspire, create and develop as individuals and collectively as a team. We strive not only to build a successful robot, but also to master and exhibit the many life-skills necessary to succeed beyond FIRST Team 1676.

Team Description

The Pascack Pi-oneers, located in Bergen County, New Jersey, are part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District, which consists of four towns: Hillsdale, River Vale, Montvale and Woodcliff Lake.

When founded in the 2004-2005 season, the Pi-oneers had 35 active members. After 14 years of development, the team consists of 88 members. Team growth includes over 41% of members being female, with 53% holding leadership positions. A member of the Pi-oneers is a dedicated, hard-working individual; the average member spends about thirty-five hours a week working during build season. Although all members work tirelessly during the intense Build Season, they believe it is the “hardest fun” a student can have.

Ready, Set, Speak! Inspiration

Ready, Set, Speak! is a personal endeavor. Looking for a project for her FIRST LEGO League* (FLL) team in middle school in 2014, team member Hailey Kraft was inspired to find a way to help children on the Autism spectrum. Hailey’s brother has Autism and being he was well-acquainted with her team, the project began with everyone’s support.

The CyberHawks, FLL Team 4618 of Holdrum Middle School in River Vale, NJ, worked tirelessly to make Ready, Set, Speak! the best they could throughout the season. Their hard work was rewarded- the CyberHawks won First Place in the Project Judging at the New Jersey Bergen County Qualification Competition and won the New Jersey State Championship, thereby advancing to the LEGOland North American Open in California. The judges awarded the team Second Place Champions, a great achievement.

This award-winning team consisted of members Hailey Kraft, Sara Takubo, Claire Dougherty, Elyse Migdal, Maya Sharma, Brianna Jacobson, Luke Sungela, Kyrillos Ayub, and Colin Adamo, and was coached by Matthew Heffernan and Andrew Eisler.

Freshman year began in 2015 for Hailey and her teammate Sara. The two diligent, hard-working students joined the high school robotics team, the Pascack Pi-oneers FIRST Team 1676, with the hope of expanding Ready, Set, Speak! to a broader audience and eventually marketing the website.

This amazing project continues to inspire all those who learn about it and those who are working to help children in need. With the help of the mentors and teammates of FIRST Team 1676, Ready, Set, Speak! constantly improves.

iphone 5 iphone 5