[Beth Sweet]

* Team Name / Number: BIG Spartan Robotics--Team 1504
* Team Location: East Lansing, Okemos and Grand Ledge, MI
* How many student team members: 19
* How many schools: 2
* Breakdown - how many students from each of the schools (generally): 8 and 11
* How do you organize your team with multiple schools: We do our designing over at Okemos, and build at Grand Ledge where there is a machine shop
* What are pros / cons you have seen given your arrangement: The two schools are over a half hour (driving the speed limit) away and the students have a hard time getting between (GAS PRICES!). We have to pick one school to do our financial stuff through and when Okemos kids are getting sponsorship, people look at them funny when they ask the potential sponsor to write "Grand Ledge High School" as the recipient. You have to have teachers from both schools/districts. We are able to use the best of both facilities. There's no other team in this area, so two schools worth of kids get a chance to be in FIRST.
* Do you have any advice to other teams who may want to do something similar: If at all possible, get your schools in the same district, it's really tough doing it in different. Make sure the schools are close and not arch rivals. Have it preset what level of involvement each school will have (aka, School A allows machining, School B handles money etc). Make sure that both schools know that the other is participating