This partnership will expand access to technology and robotics education for students in grades PreK-12.

LITTLETON, NH (March 24, 2023)— White Mountain Science, Inc (WMSI) and FIRST New Hampshire (FIRST NH) are excited to announce their partnership for the North Country Project, an initiative to provide schools and youth organizations in the northern communities in New Hampshire with the resources they need to introduce and sustain FIRST® programs.

A student participates in *FIRST®* LEGO® League Challenge, a program for students in grades 4-8.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), based out of Manchester, NH, is one of the foremost youth technology education programs in the world. Students learn coding, engineering, research, communication, and more through the challenge of building and designing a robot that has to complete certain tasks while also exploring a greater theme such as play, energy, or transporting cargo. Programs are offered for students in PreK-12 and can be done in-school or as an after school activity.

“FIRST was founded in 1989 here in New Hampshire and now has teams all around the world.” says Frank Grossman, FIRST NH President, “Last year, more than 534,000 students participated globally and FIRST New Hampshire (FIRST NH) was established to be able to better support FIRST programs here in our home state.”

The North Country Project, which is supported by a Northern Borders Regional Commission (NBRC), the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund and the BOSCH Community Fund, seeks to not only support schools with direct support such as robot kits and entry fees, but also with indirect support as well.

“This project is not just about providing funding to schools and organizations for registration and robot kit materials.” said Ken St. Hilaire, FIRST NH Director, “Instead, we are taking a more holistic approach to address all the barriers that prevent student participation, including support for local transportation, hands-on training workshops for teachers, coaches and volunteers, among others.”

WMSI (pronounced “whimsy”), a Littleton, NH-based educational non-profit, provides STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) opportunities to students and teachers throughout northern New England. Through this partnership, WMSI will be providing local support to the schools and organizations that are running FIRST programming in the northern communities.

“When we look at FIRST’s mission and WMSI’s mission,” says Jeremy Knowlton, executive director of WMSI, “there is so much overlap. We are already promoting STEM education in North Country schools. Working closely with FIRST NH to provide more STEM opportunities for students in our area amplifies our impact.”

On Saturday, May 6th, FIRST NH and WMSI will host a public exposition event for the teams supported by this new partnership at Littleton High School. It will feature a FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) Discover and FLL Explore festival, an FLL Challenge informal “competition”, and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) demonstrations.

This event is intended to feature all that student participants have accomplished over the year and for interested community members to learn more about how to bring FIRST to their school or organization. All are welcome to attend. Interested schools and organizations can also contact info@firstnh.org to learn more.

About WMSI

Started in 2013, White Mountain Science, Inc. strives to excite kids and teachers with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) knowledge and skills and give them rich opportunities to grow as creative problem solvers. WMSI (pronounced whimsy) has offices and runs camp programs in Littleton, NH. Additionally, WMSI delivers programs to students and teachers throughout northern New Hampshire. Learn more: www.whitemountainscience.org

About FIRST NH

Inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H. FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to help young people build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating them to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering around the world. FIRST NH is New Hampshire’s local organization, and is dedicated to bringing FIRST programs to all students in the state. FIRST NH strives to make NH the first state in the nation where FIRST is available in every elementary, middle and high school. For more information about FIRST NH, visit firstnh.org.