As a mentor for a rookie team last year, the mentors (including alumni from 4 FRC teams) implemented travel rules that expanded on the sponsoring organization's rules (4H). As we have no direct school association, we do not have to include school travel rules. The rules ended up being a bit too extensive but could have been enforced a bit better.
Students were assigned rooms and rides during the trip and had to follow these rules:
- All students must remain in locations and areas designated for the trip.
- Students must attend all scheduled events (unless specified by the mentors or chaperones).
- All students must travel by designated transportation (unless otherwise specified). Appropriate behavior on all modes of transportation is essential.
- Students must obey all curfews and remain in their rooms after curfew.
- Students must report to their designated chaperone when requested.
- Luggage, rooms and personal possessions will be subject to search by chaperones.
- If any student is in a room that is not his/hers, there has to be an adult (25+) supervisor.
- Students can only be in areas authorized by their chaperone at any time.
Basically, we gave the chaperones (parents, not including the head mentor) the flexibility to determine how strict or loose to manage the students, as this was the first year the team traveled. Each chaperone was assigned 4-5 students to keep track of at competition. Fortunately, many of the students were totally exhausted by the end of each day of competition, so we had few behavior/curfew issues.
Additionally, I found it necessary produce a list of rules for the head mentor to follow while at competition. Some of the gems that earned exasperated sighs and eye rolls as he read the list include:
- Have your cell phone turned ON, charged, and on YOU at all times.
- Answer your phone when someone calls you.
- Eat food during each meal and get at least 3 hours of sleep a night.
- Try to be somewhat responsible and a role model.
- Do NOT use duct tape at any time in any manner.
- Do NOT obtain, fabricate, carry, or use any zombie defense weapons of any sort including projectile launchers/shooters, blunt objects, sharp objects, etc.
- Do NOT get upset with your offspring.
He later tried to collaborate with other mentors to find loopholes to a number of the rules, particularly the one regarding zombie defense weapons.
-Kat