[cwood]

In my school district there are: 2 high schools 2 middle schools and i believe 10 elementary schools. So far in our fourth year team 1629(which draws students from both high schools) has set up 5 Lego league teams for the two middle schools. We also run tech camps that are open to any student down to grade 1. By running these all summer we have been able to reach an amazing number of students.

Our school board is completely behind us on all of these activities. They're our largest contributor for the FRC program and contribute money and mentors to every team in the county. Our Principals and Superintendent have attended almost every FRC competition even traveling to Atlanta. Once our superintendent dress up as our mascot for a banquet. This almost fanatical backing of FIRST programs has lead us to spread FIRST to our neighboring districts with a team started in Morgantown WV (2614 Pitts Champs), and a planned team for next year in Allegany county MD. Our Road Map for rural teams (a list of steps to making FIRST a success in a rural area) emphasizes the importance of a strong backing from the school system and administrators.

It really has been the key to our success as well as our Engineering Inspiration Award