Quote:
Originally Posted by Hallry
That's what I was really asking, how did you get the school to approve giving out varsity letters to robotic kids?
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I know this response is a little late. However, hopefully it's still relevant! Or hopefully you already are getting varsity letters at your school!
I worked to get Bedford Express (1023 from MI) varsity letters during my sophomore year (2008). I actually started in my Honors English class because we were asked to write a persuasion essay on a topic we were very passionate about. Most people chose abortion, gay marriage, lowering drinking age, etc but I chose something I was really passionate about-how FIRST students deserved just as much recognition as the athletes in our school. I gathered as much information as I could (Other teams requirements, how the letter impacted the students, how the principal initially felt, impact on FIRST on students/communities etc). I even worked with my coach on designing the letter. We also had to present to the class which I was nervous about because I figured the students in my class wouldn't support me. After my presentation, the students in my class were APPALLED that the FIRST team didn't receive sport recognition. My teacher and my coach encouraged me to try for varsity letter recognition and for the first time I actually felt like we could get it.
After that, it was just a series of presentations. I proofread my paper a million times and presented it along with what I thought the requirements should be in addition to my presentation. I started gathering other teachers who supported me, and then I presented to the principal. He was supportive of the program, but not sure it warranted a varsity letter. My coach and I just kept talking to people... the athletic director, teachers, other coaches, school board members. And I kept talking to my principal. We also made this video and used it to present to administrators:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8-CVg0QAyg
Eventually, we got through to them and Bedford Express has been giving varsity letters to students who fulfill our varsity requirements for two years.
PM me if you need anymore help!
Biggest piece of advice, get to know your administrators and make sure they know what FIRST is!