What exactly is a moon shot?

A moon shot is something everyone believes is impossible, but it’s something that’s achieved anyway. When high school students are asked to build a robot with little to no experience in the area, it can feel much like JFK’s challenge to reach the moon in before the end of the 60’s. Let’s celebrate that feeling. We know the FIRST Robotics Challenge is daunting. Let’s square up and face it together.

The Moonshot FRC team began as a collaboration between Gilmour Academy and North Royalton High School, but now is solely comprised of Gilmour students. The team started when seniors in the class of ’16 decided to take their budding appreciation for robotics and step into the hardest challenge around. Each year’s team gets named after a moon, with Luna as our first.

FIRST

Started by Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST was started to find a fun away to introduce STEM education to new students. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

ROBOTICS

Robotics encompasses metalworking, electrical engineering, 3D designing, product testing, programming, and project management. We’re building large, metal machines that can independently move, process sensory input, and make complex decisions. 

COMPETITION

FRC gives us an opportunity to study academic and vocational fields in an intense, project-based context. We are grateful for the knowledge and eager for the challenge.

3200 Lines of code
10200 MG of Caffeine
2060 Man hours
39200 Messages on Slack

2018 Season Summary

This year’s Buckeye Regional FIRST Competition was intense and terrifically...

  • May 24, 2018
  • By Mr. Adiletta

2017 Season Summary

Our robotics team, the Moonshots, performed unbelievably well this year. As it was our...

  • April 24, 2017
  • By Mr. Adiletta

My Mistakes Starting Our...

Gilmour Academy founded its team for the FIRST Robotics Competition when Daniel...

  • April 20, 2016
  • By Mr. Adiletta

Week 6: It’s In the Bag

Our robot was officially sealed in a bag last Tuesday, and it is now sent away until...

  • March 8, 2016
  • By Annalise Hoover

Week 6: The End is Nigh

The First Robotics Competition season is wrapping up. Our robot is due February 23, at...

  • February 22, 2016
  • By Annalise Hoover

Week 5: We Have a Robot

We have finally completed something which looks like a robot, with a finished...

  • February 19, 2016
  • By Annalise Hoover

Week 4: Seeing Some Results

This week we have continued our work from last week, such as finishing half of the drive...

  • February 8, 2016
  • By KeLynn Ingwer

Week 3: The Wheels are

Starting from Behind Work on the robot has finally become steady now that parts are...

  • February 3, 2016
  • By Annalise Hoover

Week 0: It Begins

And so it began, what we had worked towards months before kickoff. At the Tri-C campus in...

  • January 18, 2016
  • By Daniel Zhang

Welcome from Team Captain...

Thanks for visiting our team’s page. Feel free to reach out to us!

  • January 9, 2016
  • By Daniel Zhang

Our Sponsors

Robotics Supporters

Gilmour Academy

Gilmour Academy is a Catholic, independent, coeducational college-preparatory school that was founded in 1946 by the Brothers of the Holy Cross from Notre Dame, Indiana. Alumni from Gilmour Academy have shown steadfast dedication to supporting our team.

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. The university was created in 1967 by the federation of Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University. Moonshots FRC have been attending seminars hosted by the Case robotics team.

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc., is an American provider of industrial automation and information solutions. Moonshots FRC is sponsored by Rockwell through the Rockwell Automation FRC Grant and is mentored by several of its world-class engineers. We’re grateful to have them as our neighbor and partner.

Support the Team

The Moonshots FRC Team depends on community support. Please consider donating to the Gilmour Academy Annual Fund with a note to direct your giving to the Moonshots. On Gilmour’s donation page, you’ll find plenty of resources to reach out to the Development Office and get any additional information about donations.

Support the Moonshots

Meet the Team

Meet the Talents

Anthony Gillespie

Team Captain

Anthony has been a long-time volunteer at the Buckeye Regional. It was a shock for him to experience the competition as a participant instead. He knows what it takes and is rallying his team to go the distance.

Charlie Mendes

Software Captain

Charlie’s calm and persistent. He’s got his head down and pouring over Java syntax on his massive gaming laptop. Charlie’s got no time for drama, only debugging.

TBD

Admin Captain

Oversees fundraising, recruiting, purchasing, travel arrangements, team updates, and all of the other unromantic business that keeps the team alive.

TBD

Design Captain

Expert in the rules of this year’s game, the Design Captain will oversee the big picture to make sure that the mechanics will work reliably and within regulations.