Kyle,
Last question first. We were going to have a licensing class last October (1 week fall break) but the district messed up and the ARRL books were not ordered (still arn't here) As a result, we have no new hams so we have about 4 kids with licenses right now. Had the books arrived, it would bve closer to a dozen. Licensed hams with radios come in real handy. We travel by vans and the radios are going all the time. Late night Trivial Persuit, "oops made a wrong turn, Where are you guys?"
We also hold a FTC, FLL, regional and the kids do thier own communications. Same with our underwater competition.
Besides, the ham license is a badge of technical achievment!
As for Virginia's DREAM:
842 has named it's FIRST robots after people who have helped the team, yet are not the teachers, parents or others who directly receive a benefit from the team.
Our robots have been:
2003 Rosie: Named after a student who supported the team and raised funds, yet she was not a member. "I just think you guys are doing a great thing and I wanted to help."
2004 Marcos: An adult in the community who works at Intel and "adopted" us.
2005 Adam: The deceased son of a teacher at school who has donated so much time and support to the robot kids, especially the girls.
2006 Karen: Physicist, Ph.D., athlete, astronaut applicant, inventor and entrepreneur. She is the most upbeat person on the planet. She met us and volunteered to work with us. What a role model.
2007 Jerry: Karen's husband. Jerry is an architect and owns his own company. After watching his wife work with us, he became hooked. He is the most level headed, even tempered person on the planet.
2006 Virginia's DREAM: Virgina is one of those fantastic kids who strives to be graciously professional because it's the right thing to do. We are inspired by Virginia who works hard, contributes to the community, and excelled in high school. Virginia did not attend Carl Hayden. She was a student at another district school, North High School.
A week before she was to start at Arizona State University (full scholarship), she was taken from her family, placed in a holding cell with 30+ female prisoners for four days (one toilet, no hygiene supplies) She remained there until she "voluntarily" signed deportation papers. She did not talk to an attorney, her parents were not allowed to see her. Eighteen year old Virginia was taken to the Mexican border with only the money she had in her pocket and the clothes she was wearing and forced to cross the border into Mexico. She did not know anyone in Mexico. Her high school started a campaign called "Where's Virginia".
Virginia's story upset many of us, but there is nothing we can do. The students on our team decided that we would name our robot after her.
Some of the old timers in FIRST might remember the Amadou story a few years ago. (
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=46922)