Who builds robots/where?
-Students as much as possible at the shop
Do you have dedicated space/machine shop?
-We share with a pre-vo-tech class, we have our own space for tools and storage.
Do you rely on corp. sponsors to build?
-Yes, most of our budget comes from external sponsors. We don't get money from our school district, but they do cover our insurance and space.
Who manages the team/students?
-Adult mentors
How involved is your school?
-We cover two high schools for FRC and middle schools for VEX, and elementary for FLL. There is one teacher for FLL that does it as an extra job, there are no other teachers. There are some district employees, but they have children in the program. We would like them to be more involved, but it's a teacher issue.
How involved are your students parents?
-About 50% are very involved, 25% somewhat (we ask they will help) the rest don't help.
What is your teams operating budget?
-We could use more money, but ~25K. (Two regionals, 5 off season events and a robot)
How do you get compensated, besides the obvious joy of watching your students grow?
-I gain weight during the holiday season, the long hours and stress burns most of it off by mid-march. (Not compensated)
What is your typical build season schedule?
-Our
build calendar is here, you can see the work dates for this year.
-Between VEX and FRC at the end of the Philadelphia Regional I have ~550 hours.