Building Anticipation

[Sam N.]

How do we get our school excited and informed about build season?

(Sorry camera phone)

[vivek16]

drive your robot around school at lunch. maybe put it in the school newspaper/make a video in the school news if you have them.

-vivek

[Romeo1351]

Right, Sam. We could try the basketball hoop thing again with Mark III (our Aim High bot). People liked that, especially the suspense that ended when you missed with all but the last ball.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Sam N.

How do we get our school excited and informed about build season?

Sam, are you planning on meeting at your school during build season to get the task at hand complete?

If that's the case, the "buzz" created by your group's presence alone in the school will create quite the scene, and cause interest.

It's no surprise that the time (even with teams who have been around for years) that more people "get it" as far as enthusiasm for the program happen in the already chaotic 6 weeks of build season.

Use that to your advantage fully. Demo not only your robot, but your team as well, as you all grow through the sketch pad to CAD to the final product.

As your team gets excited about the build and the culmination of the 6 weeks coming to an end, and getting a final product out of it that you can compete with, some of that excitement will trickle to the rest of the school.

This isn't always the case, but it's easier to create a "buzz" about your team and the cool stuff you are doing when you are knee deep in the build season, then when you are laid back during the off season.

-Write articles for the school paper, and the local news papers.
Invite classes to come visit the team while building, or near the end of build when you have something moving on it's own power during school hours.
-Invite everyone in the school district (from the Board of Education to the teacher you maybe don't get along with that great) to come and see the team in action.
-Treat your meetings as "open door" events where anyone can come in and take a look at what all the fuss is about about a 130 lb hunk of metal, wood, plastic, and let's not forget blood, sweat & tears.


Remember, it's not just a robot that is built within the 6 weeks, but also life long friends, and relationships, not to mention a team as a whole.
If you need any proof of that, just read this current post here on CD.



Good luck, and btw, the display case is a great start, just don't let word of your team end there among the student body!