Here's an email I sent out to all FRC teams in Eastern PA and DE and I copied HQ as well. It includes the way in which Team 1712 is approaching the assignment. I dare you, take a precious few moments away from robot zaniness NOW and make a HUGE difference. Do you REALLY have FIRST's mission in your heart? I guess we'll find out soon.
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Greetings Teams,
I know you're already neck deep in robot brainstorming and strategy, but I'd like you all to consider completing Dean's Homework Assignment of contacting your governor and federal senators and reps to invite them to the Philadelphia Regional and to the Championship in Atlanta very soon.
Here's one model you can copy from Team 1712 if you'd like. All of team 1712's student members and mentors are going to be emailing at least one senator, rep, or the governor with the following information:
1. They will be telling them they are involved in a program for HS students called FIRST that is exciting to participate in and important to the future of our culture because it is cultivating tomorrow's engineers, scientists, technologists, and leaders in a time of critical shortage. To learn more about FIRST, please visit
www.usfirst.org
2. They will be informing them that both RI and HI legislators have committed to ensuring that all high schools in these respective states have at least one team involved in a FIRST program and these efforts are well underway. We'd like our state to make a similar commitment.
3. Then they will invite these folks to the FIRST Philadelphia Regional at Drexel University on March 30 and 31 (
www.philadelphiafirst.org) and the Championship event at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA on April 13 and 14. so that they can come find out why this is such an important program.
4. Ask them to contact FIRST Senior Mentor Rich Kressly at
rkressly@usfirst.org to arrange for a VIP event invitation and to ask questions. (anyone from PA or DE can gladly use me as the point person).
5. Don't forget to copy the email to FIRST HQ
How you encourage your team members to get this critical homework done is ENTIRELY up to you. You can even write it for them and have them send it if you wish. Since I'm also the main contact for Team 1712, I chose to encouage my team this way, "After initial brainstorming, no adult or student on Team 1712 will work on the robot or any related award entry until Dean's homework is done."
Choose to do this any way you want, but I do hope you choose to do it. It can make a HUGE difference if we all work together. Please let me know how I can help your team through build season and thank you again for your commitment to the future!
Best Regards,
Rich Kressly
FIRST Senior Mentor, Eastern PA/DE