Meet Jeff and Brittany Parks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff and Brittany Parks. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Jeff was a science teacher at Waverly High School and was seeking an extra-curricular to be part of. He took over the Asian Pacific Awareness Club and quiz bowl club but desired to mark a beginning of a school extracurricular program. An email came a crossed Jeff’s inbox seeking for someone to assistance with the robots’ club. Jeff replied to the email that he would be interested in assisting and received a reply, “Great! You are the head coach, and the grant was due at midnight”. Jeff came home from school that day and mentioned to his wife Brittany that he was starting a robotics club. And he was the head coach, and the grant was due at midnight. Brittany, his wife, replied confusedly, “What is a robotics club?” Jeff replied, “I don’t know, want to help”? Brittany chuckled and said, “Sure.” Jeff and Brittany did not know anything about robotics and what it entailed to start a robotics team. Luckily MSU FIRST Robotics alumni association assigned a junior college student named Chad who was familiar about FIRST robotics to assist us. Between Jeff and Brittany’s skills in student management and logistics and Chad’s technical skills and familiarity in FIRST Robotics Team 7226 Error 404, Waverly Robotics was started. Today the Waverly Robotics program has over 300 students from 3rd-12th grade and is ever growing each year. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Waverly School is a titled one school, and the robotics program is an after-school program that requires community grants and funding. To continue the robotics program to accommodate all interested students requires year-round fundraising efforts, and can be challenging to acquire funds needed to continue the program. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Jeff is the Student Activities and Grant Coordinator at Waverly. Jeff steps forward when others step back. 

Brittany is the owner and principle consultant of BPP Consulting that focuses on organizational health through process improvement, safety, and human resource initiatives. Brittany is known for her expertise in logistics and ability to build relationships. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.waverlyrobotics.org
• Instagram: wavo_robotics
• Facebook: Waverly robotic
• Youtube: @FRCTeamError