The New York City Regional logistics for visiting teams

[DonRotolo]

You don't want to drive. No. Traffic into NYC is a LOT worse that what you'd find in Endicott.

Here's a tip for moving large groups without losing too many*:

Break the team into groups of 4 students. (We use 4 because that's how many go into a hotel room). The group is everyone in the room.

Pick one student as the 'leader'. That leader's responsibility is to keep track of the other three, and be able to verify by eye contact their presence, on a moment's notice.

Assign 3 or 4 leaders to each Mentor. The mentor's job is the same, verify by eye contact the presence of the leaders they are assigned.

When it is time for a quick verification that nobody's been lost, the head coach says the key word (like "Swordfish", whatever) and, in the time of about 6 seconds...

1. Each leader verifies their group and puts their thumb up (high)
2. each mentor verifies their group and puts their thumb up (high)
3. The head coach verifies all the mentors.

While traveling, 1676 will do this at every place where someone might get lost, perhaps a dozen or more times for walk from the hotel to the venue, such as at every street corner.

Of course, a full roll call happens at critical points - beginning and end at least.

It also helps to mandate that everyone wear the same color shirt, and not black or white but yellow or red or some other obvious color.

25 students and 6 mentors won't be a problem.

* I tell the students that the Board of Ed says that 90 is an A, the best grade you can get, so if we end the day with 90% of the students we started with, that's good enough.

[Foster]

I often went to that area as a commuter, the ferry is fun except for windy / blowy days. I'd recommend that route. OTOH the subway is easy, and it's a new life skill you can teach on how to do transit in a major metro area.

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

I tell the students that the Board of Ed says that 90 is an A, the best grade you can get, so if we end the day with 90% of the students we started with, that's good enough.

Nice, now you tell us. All these years it's been "no child left behind" when I could have gone for the easy A.

[Brian C]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

You don't want to drive. No. Traffic into NYC is a LOT worse that what you'd find in Endicott.

Here's a tip for moving large groups without losing too many*:

Break the team into groups of 4 students. (We use 4 because that's how many go into a hotel room). The group is everyone in the room.

Pick one student as the 'leader'. That leader's responsibility is to keep track of the other three, and be able to verify by eye contact their presence, on a moment's notice.

Assign 3 or 4 leaders to each Mentor. The mentor's job is the same, verify by eye contact the presence of the leaders they are assigned.

When it is time for a quick verification that nobody's been lost, the head coach says the key word (like "Swordfish", whatever) and, in the time of about 6 seconds...

1. Each leader verifies their group and puts their thumb up (high)
2. each mentor verifies their group and puts their thumb up (high)
3. The head coach verifies all the mentors.

While traveling, 1676 will do this at every place where someone might get lost, perhaps a dozen or more times for walk from the hotel to the venue, such as at every street corner.

Of course, a full roll call happens at critical points - beginning and end at least.

It also helps to mandate that everyone wear the same color shirt, and not black or white but yellow or red or some other obvious color.

25 students and 6 mentors won't be a problem.

* I tell the students that the Board of Ed says that 90 is an A, the best grade you can get, so if we end the day with 90% of the students we started with, that's good enough.

Great advice!!

I'm trying to figure out how you would lose 2.5 students to get a 90% passing grade........