FIRST Robotics Team 1741
About Red Alert
Building robots, building futures — since 2005.
Who We Are
FIRST Team 1741 Red Alert Robotics is proud to be celebrating our 20th Anniversary in 2025. We are a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team located at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana.
Since our team began in March of 2005, Red Alert has been led by a group of students, mentors, parents, and the Center Grove School Corporation, and has focused on spreading the message of FIRST®.
Our team brings together students passionate about engineering, programming, design, business, and community outreach. Under the guidance of dedicated mentors, students gain hands-on experience building competition robots while developing skills that last a lifetime.
We believe in FIRST's values of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® — competing hard while treating everyone with respect, and recognizing that we're stronger when we work together.
1741
Team Number
2005
Founded
20
Competition Seasons
4
FIRST Teams
Our Mission
"To cultivate a culture of STEAM in order to inspire future generations of leaders and innovative thinkers."
Our History
From a small group of students and mentors in 2005 to a thriving Innovation Center housing four FIRST teams.
2005 — The Beginning
Center Grove School Corporation noticed a vacancy in their school activities regarding science and technology. Summer Ehresman, a computer science teacher, along with the Baxter and McCoy families, decided to form a FIRST team. Mrs. Ehresman served as the school sponsor, and her computer experience allowed our rookie team to learn a variety of software programs. Team 1741 was founded in the fall of 2005.
2006 — First Season
Our first official competition season. We attended the Boilermaker Regional as Regional Finalists and received the Rookie Inspiration Award. Linda McCoy and Sharon Baxter established the Non-Engineering side of Red Alert Robotics (NEngA), while Steve McCoy and Dwight Baxter founded the Engineering side, teaching students life skills in science and technology.
2008 — RARPO Founded
The Red Alert Robotics Parent Organization (RARPO) was created — a 501(c)(3) organization run by parents in order to sustain our team through fundraising and support.
2011 — First Chairman's Award & Worlds
Won our first Regional Chairman's Award at the Boilermaker Regional, earning a trip to the FIRST World Championship. This marked a turning point for the team's outreach and community impact programs.
2017 — The Innovation Center
Red Alert moved out of the high school and into the new Center Grove Innovation Center. The school district converted and expanded an existing building to create a dedicated space for STEM activities and the robotics program. The facility enabled us to host summer camps, FRC scrimmages, FTC "Spring Training," FIRST Indiana Robotics Town Halls, and more.
2020 — Chairman's & Covid
Won both the District and State Chairman's Award — the highest honor in FIRST, recognizing our team's impact on the community. The rest of the season was suspended due to COVID-19.
2022 — World Championship Finalists
After earning the Regional Chairman's Award at the Indiana State Championship, we competed on the Turing Division at the FIRST World Championship, finishing as Championship Division Finalists.
Today
The Innovation Center is home to 1 FRC team and 3 FTC teams, creating a vibrant hub of student-led engineering and innovation. We continue to compete at the highest level while hosting events and giving back to our community through outreach and STEM education programs.
The Innovation Center
The Innovation Center at Center Grove is our home base — a dedicated space for student-led engineering and innovation. It houses 1 FRC team and 3 FTC teams, creating a collaborative environment where students of all levels can learn, build, and grow.
Machine Shop
Full workshop with CNC, lathes, drill presses, and hand tools for manufacturing robot components.
Programming Lab
Dedicated space for software development, vision processing, and autonomous programming.
Design Studio
CAD workstations for robot design, prototyping, and 3D printing.
What is FIRST?
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a global robotics community that prepares young people for the future through mentor-based programs.
In FRC, teams of high school students have roughly six weeks to design, build, and program a 125-pound robot to compete in a challenging field game. It's often called "the ultimate sport for the mind."
But FIRST is about more than robots. Teams also develop branding, fundraise, do community outreach, and learn project management — skills that translate directly to college and career success.
Our Sponsors Make It Possible
We couldn't do what we do without the generous support of our sponsors and the Center Grove community.
View Our Sponsors