[Jimmy]

My name is James, and I am a senior at a high school in suburban Detroit, at which I have had an excellent experience and for those reasons do not want to mention its name, though some of you will probably figure it out.
Since our team's inception 3 years ago, I have had a great experience, and learned many invaluable lessons that have driven me to pursue an engineering career, and I plan on continuing in FIRST as a college student mentor at which Purdue or U of Michigan, whichever I choose. In these three years, I have learned that there are more important things than winning. I have learned the meaning of a team, in which everyone does their part, and then everyone can take satisfaction in the results. I have learned machining skills, the design process, business and promotion techniques, and so much more. All in all I think I could be considered a poster child for what robotics can do, as it has transformed me into a much happier, more driven, and all in all more successful student.
This weekend, my team will be attending the West Michigan Regional in Grand Rapids. I am sad to say that this looks like it could be the last competition my school sees. There are questions as to the academic and economic value of the program. With a new administration in place, we fell behind in raising funds for this year, as new restrictions were placed on such activities for fear of crossing connections needed for donations to other programs. Members of the administration have questioned if the money spent is worth it, because the amount of school missed for the competitions is large, and there are fears that it is taking away from the core academic curriculum. There are also questions as to the value of the Championship, since it is so hard to come away with an award
(though we were division finalists, 2001, our rookie year), and I need advice on how to convince nonbelievers that winning is truly not the essence of FIRST.
I dont mean to bore all of those that read this post, but I think you might begin to understand the situation now. My question is what can we do? how can we convince the school that we really do get more out of this competition than gets put in(though it defies the laws of physics that govern our world)? I would appreciate advice from any of you who have been through a similar situation because I would hate to see this opportunity taken away from younger and future students. I know that all the time that I have put into this activity has truly been worth it for me, FIRST has already won me over, but unfortunately not everyone can see it through my eyes. I thank my school and my sponsors for having blessed me with this opportunity, and I need all the advice i can get and endorsements I can get to encourage its continuation, as well as encourage interest in younger students.
Thanks if you did read all of this
James