JAW

Managing a Multiple School FRC Team

2005 FRC Conference John Larock - MOE 365

Kathie Kentfield - RAGE 173

2

Agenda

• Why A Multi-School Team?• Pros & Cons of a Multi-School Team• Existing Multi-School Models in FIRST

– RAGE 173– CHUCK 84– MOE 365

• Special Issues With Multi-School Teams• Q & A - Open Discussion

3

Why A Multi-School Team?

• Traditional FRC is reaching a plateau of growth• Large corporate sponsors providing support are becoming

saturated• More difficulty finding committed mentors to enable growth of

new FIRST teams

• Team sustainability might rely on combining existing teams or creating teams consisting of multiple schools

Going forward, the “Traditional” FIRST team may not be the best model for sustainability due to the current FIRST cost structure, difficulty in finding committed mentors, and saturation of sponsors.

4

PROs of a Multi-School Team

• Geographic Reach– Extends geographic area for potential sponsors– Can spread FIRST program into new areas– Gets as many students involved as possible– Use of wider range of facilities

• Community Building– Brings communities together– “Our team” versus “my school”– Eliminates school stereotypes

• Diversity– Ideas / people– Opportunity for mentors and students to meet new people– Can expand mentor base

5

PROs of a Multi-School Team

• Team Sustainability– Older teams that cannot sustain can join with other teams– Allows a team to exist

• Potential exists for better media coverage

6

CONs of a Multi-School Team• Equality

– # students– Finances / resources– Recognition

• Travel / Distance– Difficult for some to travel to central location - GAS $$ Most

convenient to meet at night during week• Recruiting

– Separate build location reduces exposure to other students– Difficulty recruiting

• Differing socioeconomic backgrounds might have some students better able to afford to participate in team than others

• Communication more difficult

7

CONs of a Multi-School Team• Different School Schedules (impact team meetings/events)

– Awards nights– Graduations– Dances, proms, other events

• Recognition– Who gets trophies to display?– Which high schools get put into TIMS system?– All names don’t fit on the T-shirts?

• Special School Issues– Dealing with multiple school boards– Not having teachers from all schools involved– Difficult for school to support - “not a school thing”– “Us” versus “Them”– Charges of favoritism / bias

8

Existing Multi-School Models in FIRST

• Co-affiliation with two schools– RAGE 173

• Co-affiliation with more than two schools– Chuck 84

• No affiliation with specific schools, separate organization– MOE 365

• Affiliation with a School District, not a school– Toltechs, Team 499

• Others?

9

School Affiliation - 2 Schools

50-50 Student Split 80-20 Student Split

Two typical model breakdowns

10

RAGE 173• Number of students on team each season (average)

– 30• Number of schools involved each season (average)

– 2 main high schools; additional schools vary• Student team member requirements

– No team-issued GPA / grade requirements– Attendance / participation (community service encouraged)– Team fundraisers required; optional personal fundraisers– Several mandatory team meetings / clean-up days each year

• Basic structure– Affiliated with two schools; teacher liaison is required by schools– Strong partnerships with corporate sponsors– Student-led committee structure with elected officers and school

liaisons• Connection with High Schools / School Boards

– Presents several times/year with 2 school boards; communicates in-between via e-mails and newsletter

– Moderate success in engaging schools

11

FIRST School Affiliated Teams(2 Schools)

TEAM # TEAM NAME CITY STATE # SCHOOLS # STUDENTS

108 SigmaC@tsFort

Lauderdale FL 2 40173 RAGE Harford CT 2 30233 Space Coast FL 2 70288 MI 2

294Beach Cities

Robotics

Redondo and Manhattan

Beach CA 2 20

461Westside

Boiler InvasionWest

Lafayette IN 2 40858 MI 2

1126 SparX Webster NY 2 32

12

School Affiliation - 3+ Schools

80-10-10 Student Split 40-40-20 Student Split

Two typical model breakdowns

13

CHUCK 84• Number of students on team each season (average)

– 15-30• Number of schools involved each season (average)

– 4-6 (from several different communities)• Student team member requirements

– Set by schools– Attendance / participation– Adhere to requirements, expectations, and consequences policies

• Basic structure– Teacher or other school liaison with each school required– Set-up as a school affiliated activity

• Connection with High Schools / School Boards– Annual presentations to schools– Annual status update with school administration

14

FIRST School Affiliated Teams(3+ Schools)

TEAM # TEAM NAME CITY STATE # SCHOOLS # STUDENTS84 CHUCK Towanda PA 4 - 6 15 - 30

85 B.O.B.Zeeland and

Fruitport MI 3 35180 SPAM Stuart FL 4 50

710 PAW

Coral Springs/Ft Lauderdale FL 4 30

836 Robobees Leonardtown MD 3 40980 ThunderBots CA 4 25

1227 MI 51293 D5 Robotics Columbia SC 3 201305 North Bay North Bay ON 4 251500 MI unlimited

1504BIG Spartan

Robotics

East Lansing, Okemos,

Grand Ledge MI 3 19

15

Non-school Affiliation

Team

No School District

16

MOE 365• Number of students on team each season (average)

– 30-35• Number of schools involved each season (average)

– 12-14• Student team member requirements

– No GPA / grade requirements– Attendance / participation / community service / sponsorship

• Basic structure– Non-school affiliated – 501 c3 non-profit organization [First State Robotics, Inc.]– Set-up as a non-school affiliated after-school club

• Connection with High Schools / School Boards– Minimal interaction– Annual status update with certain school boards

17

FIRST Non-School Affiliated Teams

TEAM # TEAM NAME CITY STATE # SCHOOLS # STUDENTS

68Truck Town

Thunder Pontiac MI 5 15

365 MOE Wilmington DE 12 35

18

School District Affiliation

Team

School District

19

FIRST School District Affiliated Teams

TEAM # TEAM NAME CITY STATE # SCHOOLS # STUDENTS

71Team

Hammond Hammond IN 4 25499 Toltechs San Antonio TX 3 50

662

Rocky Mountain Robotics

Colorado Springs CO 3 50

818 Genesis Warren MI 4 40

862Lightning Robotics Canton MI 4 65

20

Special Considerations with Multi-School Teams

• Equality / Fairness– Funding / financials / support– Participants (students / mentors)– Facilities– Recognition

• Developing Team Member Relationships– Mentors with students– Students with other students

• Recruitment of StudentsHow do you recruit students from multiple schools?

• Identifying a Common Work Location– Neutral location or one affiliated with a specific school?– Travel issues? Turf issues?

21

Special Considerations with Multi-School Teams

• Maintaining Effective Communication– with team members

• e-mail• website• phone hotline

– with schools where student team members reside• newsletters • targeted distribution lists• website• meetings

• School Recognition – who displays the awards– how is team recognized in media articles (newspaper, tv)

22

Special Considerations with Multiple School Teams

• Administrative Concerns– differing school requirements for student team members

• how to handle?– require common set of requirements and negotiation with

schools to reach agreement• Keeping up with School’s Policies

– travel requirements– school board connections– chaperone approval / ratio– days off, school events, etc.

• Who owns your robot?

JAW

Q & AOpen Discussion

JAW

Multiple School FIRST Teams ROCK!

JAW

Presenter Contact Information

John Larock (Team 365) John.A.Larock@usa.dupont.comKathie Kentfield (Team 173) kkentfield@sjc.eduJudy Vanderpool (Team 84) jvanderpool@troyareasd.org