Meredith Rotary Club

June 7th, 2023

 

President Heidi called the meeting to order at 6 PM and led us in the pledge. Dan Whitney led us in prayer.

Guests and Visiting Rotarians. Meghan Theriault, Joe Derrick, Scott Rockafellow, Kalen and Hayden Brunell, Eagen Towle, Haley Pimley, Caleb Theriault, Danielle Cornelissen, Mercedes Marquit, Connie Dehnel, Joia Brown

Did you know that the bumblebee bat is the world's smallest mammal? 1" ish in length and width. You'd have to travel to Limestone Caves in Thailand to see it in person. And a bonus, did you know… McDonald's once made bubblegum-flavored broccoli. Child testers were very confused about the taste!

Next week we'll meet at the Grange. The food truck we were hoping to get did not return our calls. We will be using Hannaford sandwiches for the meeting.

President next year is Wendy, with Fred Strader as Vice President and Jim McFarlin as President–Elect. 

Thank you from Scholarship recipients Olivia Tatrum and Abigail Bryant. 

Heidi presented our servers, Morgan and Chantel, with thank-you cash bonuses from the Club.

Jim is meeting with the school board regarding Nalox boxes and working with Church Landing to add one.

Workday at Page Pond on June 24. We only need a small crew of 6-8 people. Contact Wendy.

Stonedam Island is on hold until we hear from the trust.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Wed. June 21 at 2:30 for the Meredith Veterans Memorial Project. Pavers are still on sale until June 30. Pavers are open to any veteran, not just Meredith veterans.

Program-The Lakerbots, I-LHS FIRST Robotics Team. It aims to inspire young people to pursue STEM fields. Joe Derrick is the lead mentor for the team, along with Meghan and Scott.   25 team members with three captains and over 4000 hours put in by the team and qualified for the WORLDS championship. They are ranked third in NH, 21 in NE, and 202 in the country. 225 rank of all the teams in the world.   They are very focused on safety, using many tools and machines to manufacture parts.   About 1/3 of the team is female, and they focus on diversity.

This year's game is "Charged Up." They must complete various tasks with their robot to win the game. Their robot is called Rattlesnake, after the Island and the mountain. Weighs 110lbs and is 30” x 30” x 53”.  Thirteen different motors to power it. The team requires knowledge of manufacturing, programming, CAD (Computer Aided Design), assembly, business, scouting, and control systems.   They run their fundraising, sponsoring, merchandising, finding hotels, meals, PR, and website. Team organization and unification helped with their success this year. The most difficult part is the competition itself. Long, grueling days and robot breaking during matches. 

The team does all manufacturing in-house with laser printers and milling machines.

After the competition, the robot gets taken apart, and the parts are used for the following year.

Everyone was highly impressed with this team, their abilities, and all they have accomplished.

Happy Dollars Fred for new perspective member Joia.  Tim for youngest son graduating high school. John Moulton received a tractor back that had been out for repair for months despite being new due to a lack of workers with technological knowledge. Carl, for his triple jumper on the track team, ranked number 1 and went to the state championship. Chuck was amazed by the knowledge of the robotics team. John Columbus was impressed by the leadership of the school and the caliber of kids on the team. We were all blown away!   Heidi, for contractors, finally left her house after two months and for less than one month left as president!