Quote:
Originally Posted by LordSnow97
I am with team 3234, and we are currently working with our school's principal to get a varsity letter set up for our students. However, in creating the criteria, my principal is uncomfortable with how to set it up and wants some examples of other Michigan schools that give a letter to their robotics students.
Is there anyone out there on a MI team that gives out varsity letters? And if so, how does you school have it set up for the criteria of who qualifies to receive the letter? Please post or send me a message so I can get some of the students on my team to, if not this year, start getting varsity letters next year for their hard work in a sport of the mind.
|
Royal Oak High School began issuing varsity letters last year after a study was completed by the School Board on establishing criteria to evaluate any team's desire to receive a varsity letter. I was not part of the study so unfortunately cannot provide the criteria that was established. Based on my limited experience on this matter I think you should consider the following:
1) The principal, most likely, will not be able to issue varsity letters without consulting with the schools central office and/or school board approval.
2) You may receive negative feedback about having a varsity letter issued to robotics if your high school doesn't already issue varsity letters for band or other school activities not associated with traditional MHSAA sports. This was not our case, per se, but may be a big issue for your approval route depending on the personal viewpoint of the high school athletic director.
3) Your desire to grant/issue a varsity letter may raise the larger issue of who should receive the letter at your high school causing some kind of study to determine which activities qualify at your high school.
4) There may be a side issue that you hadn't considered regarding your team's coach's pay. Once your robotics team becomes varsity status, I think a good argument can be made that the coach deserves to be paid as a varsity coach per your teacher's union bargaining agreement in Schedule B. Just this week I submitted paperwork indicating that the RO varsity coach pay should be raised to the average of the 10 high school varsity team coaches. Although I don't coach robotics because of the coach's pay, for fairness, I think my pay should be in the ballpark of other varsity coaches. This may also help other coaches to consider the position in the future.