Quote:
Originally posted by Ken L
What do FIRST mean to you personally, and why on earth are you spending so much time in it?
Extra bonus points if you can include a little bit about why rookie FIRST participants should spend as much time in FIRST as you do, and why high school students who aren't on a team should join or start one, and... oh... why companies/parents/engineers/school administration/friends should help teams out...
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2000 my stepson (ss) was beginning high school and our family rule was 2 extracurriculars. The robotics' program wasn't publicized well, but I spied it out and emailed the teacher. He emailed me back suspiciously, "who are you?" *shrug* a parent. He curtly explained the program wouldn't start til Jan.
Ss attended all meetings, but sociability isn't his strong point. The VP made an unpopular decision, including ss in going to FL altho he didn't do much. The team won regionally and nationally. There was enthusiasm showing in ss.
2002 my husband joined the team as mentor trying to help ss stay in the program. My 17yo gregarious daughter joined for the same reason. My husband, the computer guru, had a ball also helping building the robot. We had no clue how much my daughter would thrive in the program. She'd never "taken" to other extracurricular stuff. Her sister-in-law is amazed, remarking, "I can't believe Angela's doing this." Angela worked at the machine shop, co-drove at all the competitions, and became RUHS President of robotics 2003.
2003 my freshman daughter and I joined. My freshman daughter took a welding class over the summer before her freshman year with her stepdad cuz a robotics' alumni had mentioned girls make the best welders. My 14yo, the youngest to have ever taken the welding class, kicked her stepdad's butt in the class.
Then, with our partners - a family from our rival school MCHS, we began to make excellent progress in making the team better. A year round program, a single facility to work in, gracious professionalism a value that was ignored in the past became a priority, I discovered a flair for publicity and fundraising. Our robotics team is now EASY for people to find out about.
My ss's dropped out. The rest of us are having a ball.
My 14yo daughter is recruiting people like crazy. They don't know they want to be in robotics. They don't know the kind of fun they're going to have. They don't know all the different kinds of skills they can learn, and what they're capable of. They're finding out.
