HELP! Rookie team up the creek w/o a paddle

[andy]

Hey I just got back from the first (unannounced) meeting w/ my team. I kinda have mixed feelings. well let me set the stage:

I got there at around noon and some kids had been there since 9
there were pieces of the kit EVERY WHERE !!! VERY BAD!!! We are missing all sorts of stuff.

Well we got some extras like we got 9 30 A breakers but no 40 A breakers among other things BUT we are missing HUGE amounts of our pnumatics and the sensors! don't even get me started... We were very paniced for a little while bec. we couldn't find one of the drill motors!! And than I got worse one of the freshman got there early and COMPLETELY dissassembled the drill motor transmission!!! There were gears every where!!! Scary.

Well I left the electrical guys (3) taking an inventory and I took the mechanical guys (3 myself included) to go on a treasure hunt for tools. We found two CNC lathes (small though/ one ran programs on a microcassete) And one monster wood? lathe. Three drill presses three bandsaws one CNC metal mill 4 grinders a buffer two sanders three jigsaws two bending brakes!!!
(that list was longer than I intended)
But it wosent like the tools were just there we actually had to drag the tools out of a VERY small room. These tools were all nearly twice my age old and probably hadn't been used for a very long time.

the best part was we found about $750 worth of Aluminum which we plan to sell or trade to a machine shop in exchange for their servicecs (welding aluminum keying shafts etc.)

So far so good.

our problem is we are a magnet school and most of the team lives far away from the school. We have about 40-50 interested members but only about 6 that can make it to the meetings. We haven't started on the design.

Though the worst part is probably several freshman have a SERIOUS ego problem ...

well what I am trying to say is we need team leadership and organisation and we need a way to get those members who live far away a way to go to practice. I am kinda frusterated right now (if you can't tell)

And don't even get me started on our funding issues!

Well I gotta go now but dont fret I have more to rant about that I will post later. I NEED YOUR HELP!!! Thanks though...

-Andy