Re: We Need Your Help!
 

This is tough.
Deal with the school board the same way as a potential sponsor. Gather as much statistics to show the benefits of FIRST involvement. Your local senior mentor should be able to supply some stats.
On our team we are tracking our alumni.
After 4 years we have 17 alumni. 16 have gone onto a 4 year collage. 1 has joined the military. The collage bound have received $149,000 in scholarships and grants that are directly connected to the club and FIRST. When we add their scholastic and other local scholarships they total $788,000.

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

Posted response and signed. Hope all works out for you guys. Its really a shame schools and districts don't support their local teams a little bit. Long term goals always seem to get skewed with short term problems.
Stay strong and keep thinking outside the box.

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

Thank you everyone who signed and shared our petition!

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

I will be signing this, and passing it along to the rest of our team, as well as sharing it over our Facebook page. We know exactly what it feels like to lose support from your school district. We have been a member of FIRST for over 15 years and last year we were in line to be cut from any sort of support, thankfully we've gotten things worked out, but we're right here rooting for you. :) Let us know if there is anything we can do.

-Samantha Adams
CRT 306 Co-Captain

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

Thank you!

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

Why isn't this mentioned on your website, facebook, or twitter?

You can change your situation without a petition
 

If possible, you should check out your local 4-H organization. We recently moved to a club associated with 4-H as well as two school districts.
We receive no financial backing from either school district or 4-H.

Not having a school is not the end of the world. Network with other local teams to share resources and buildspaces. Contact local companies who may be willing to donate the same.

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

Wow, this really stinks. There could be at least SOME good if your school drops support. My team has never been associated with any high school, and while that means we don't get their support for a lot of stuff, we don't have to abide by any of their rules. In the winter, we can meet even when schools have snow days and possibly even fewer liabilities. We have been rather fortunate that schools our students attend have given time off to go to competition (which I think most schools will).

However, if your school is your primary monetary source and has your build space, that really stinks.

Hope you guys can work something out.

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

It is most definitely frustrating to not be considered a sanctioned club by your home school anymore, I can certainly empathize with that. Being blind-sided by the decision makes it feel that much worse, too.

On the other hand I find it difficult to sign a petition where I only know one side of the argument. It seems very suspicious that a school board would simply pull the plug on a club that they weren't spending any money on. Something else is probably going on. The school board may not have told you why, but it is very important that the root cause of their decision be addressed. It may be a perfectly valid reason or concern that you have not ever considered before. I look forward to learning what your school board's reasons are. Perhaps what you learn can help other teams avoid a similar situation in the future.

Good luck. No matter the outcome of your current situation the FRC community will be there to lend a hand.

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

We almost had to face the same situation. The word on the wire was due to costs and what not we could face the same judgement (we also weren't on the best of terms with the new super).

If they don't reverse it, you can always get a new primary sponsor. There are A LOT of teams that run through the local 4-H.


Best of luck.


--Dustin

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

Signed
Have you considered going over to 4H? You don't need to associated with a school plus you can include home schooled students.

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

I've signed it and I'm trying to get my other team members to sign as well. I can't imagine why a school would want to shut down an FRC team. I hope you guys get to stay with your school.

Re: We Need Your Help!
 

Very best of luck to your team! It would be a shame to lose a team when all the teams are continually working to grow the awareness of FIRST.