[Dave Campbell]

In 2003, we took three members of Team #144 to Nationals with our team. They were seniors on 144 and had been National Finalists the year before but the team did not qualify. I was the former advisor for 144 and knew the students well. They were well received by 1038 and worked hard with our team. There were logistical problems - their school did not want them going, our school was providing transportation (travel liability waivers) and lodging. They met my expectations and their parents gladly signed the waivers and released them from school for educational purposes. It could have been a mess if anything happened and we did not have any waivers signed by parents and school officials.
On a side note, we also picked up members from the former team #979, who were also seniors and had been on 979 for three years. We welcomed them for the entire build season and competition season as well. One (dddriveman) ended up as the primary driver for us this year and the other was instrumental in our scouting. A real pleasure having good, hard-working students added to our hard-working team. If all teams look around in their communities, I'm sure you'll find "homeless" FIRST'ers both student and mentors. Those who come looking for you are the real gems though!