About
2025 Team
Back Row: Liam Sweeney, Miles Viggiani, Kevin Reas, Chase Vendrillo, Evan Paquette, Evan Lovegrove
Middle: Jack Grimm, Charlie Rose, Charlie Ringuette, Aidan Bisi, Landon Vigil, Ben King
Front: Eli Banks, James Mattison, Savanna Healy, Charlee Boothroyd, Chelsee Boothroyd
Missing: Ian Sanders, Jason, Dimitri, John Dalton, Julia Cavaliere, TJ Crowell
2024 Team
Back Row: Logan Lammey, Evan Paquette, Chase Vendrillo, Kevin Reas, Alex Mauldin, Nate Schulze, John Dalton,
Middle: Ian Sanders, Sam Ringuette, Charlie Rose, Callum Cuadro, Evan Lovegrove, John Marks, Mile Viggiani
Front: Sophie Melmed, Eli Banks, Taylor Gerst, Abby Belding, Julia Cavaliere, and Ben King
Missing: Landon Vigil, Patrick McGregor, TJ Crowell
FIRST® Robotics Competition Mentors
FIRST is a mentor-based program. Mentors are adult volunteers from our community who donate a great deal of their time and effort to make Team 1699 possible. The expertise and guidance of the mentors serves as a catalyst for student learning. Mentors engage and inspire students in ways far beyond science and technology. Mentors teach, coach, guide, and lead alongside the students. They enable both students and adults to appreciate the value of sportsmanship, teamwork, and FIRST’s credo of Gracious Professionalism®.
Alan Mocksfield
Lead Mentor
Process and Programming
Application Development Director at Cigna
B.S. in Computer Science
Tom Praisner
Lead Mentor
Design and Risk Management
Fellow, Turbomachinery Aerodynamics, Pratt and Whitney
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
M.S. Computer-Integrated Mechanical Engineering Systems
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering
Cindy Praisner
Lead Mentor
Education and Administration
Early Childhood Coordinator
B.S. Elementary Education, M.S. Special Education, Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction
Jason Belding
Design
ABB
Seth Crampton
Programming and Electronics
Tsunami Tsolutions
B.S. in Computer Science
Brad Graham
Electronics
"The Old Guy"
Retired US Navy Electrician / Retired Principal Engineer from Electric Boat
B.S. in Computer Science
A.S. in Nuclear Technology
Chris Lovegrove
Build Support
Deputy Component Integration
Product Team Leader
Pratt and Whitney
MBA
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Mark Noniewicz
Build Support
Dominion Energy (Retired)
Systems Engineering
Licensed Nuclear Power Plant Operator
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Dustin Paquette
Drive Team Coach
Central CT State University
Mechanical Engineering Student
CNC Machinist
Brian Reas
Build Support
Superintendent of Plainville Schools
B.A. in Economics
M.S. in Education
Sixth-year Certificate in Administration
Superintendent Certificate
John Spaulding
Safety, Design, and Procurement
Firefighter, Paramedic, & Deputy Fire Marshal
A.S. in Emergency Medical
Lenny Viggiani
CNC Routing and Electronics
Senior Chief Petty Officer, USN (Retired)
Electronics Operations, Testing, Maintenance and Troubleshooting
History
Robocats was founded in 2005 by Harold Ellis, a Bacon Academy Tech Ed teacher, along with Keith Deslandes (father of team member, Chris Deslandes). Team 1699's first game played was in 2005, called Triple Play. After 15 years of service from Keith (“Mr. D”), the team transitioned to new leadership in 2021. Robocat Team members are Bacon Academy students in grades 9–12. The team is a Colchester Public Schools sponsored club and the district supports the program through in-kind use of Bacon Academy Tech Wing space, storage, club advisor stipend, and administrative services.