"Robotics" Team or Club

[allabout42]

Originally Posted by Justin1636

Even though FIRST at our school is a class that we get credit for we are considered a team

Same for team 481

[Justin1636]

ohh yeah I forgot we letter also we are thinking R2-D2 for our pins for our letter jackets

[BandChick]

I guess technically 1089 is still a "club." By all means, we are seen as a TEAM rather than just a club. We do more work, require more dedication and get more funding.

Our student council gives out a $5000 grant every year, and the robotics team has been sucking it up every year. Our school board is very impressed with us and is doing everything they can to help us. We have 1 coach "on salary," but then, there are other club advisors that also get paid (I can't think of any off the top of my head, though).

We might not have a class offered at our school, and we might not get varsity letters, but we get recognized a lot.

We still get excused for trips and have our own "metal shop," we do school board presentations, curriculum expos and we're right up there with everyone else on "club night" (where all sports AND clubs set up tables to recruit 8th graders).

I know 1089 would LOVE to be considered a real club and get the same appreciation our sports get, but we're getting there. As part of our community/school outreach our team did an ad campaign, and, as one of my friends so subtlely put it, "Tetra is taking over my life!"

She has no idea...

[dubious elise]

We are listed on school brochures as a club, but everywhere else, we are regarded as a team. "Club" connotates a loose collection of mentors and students, "team" alludes to a strong bond between the mentors and students.

[pickle]

We're still considered a club, however, after much begging, next year our principal said he'd pay our entry fee !

But we'll never be considered a team I bet, we do have a robotics class at our school now, which gets a little bit of money I think, but as far as our FIRST program, we get almost nothing from our school

[527point]

team 527 is a club but we get a lot of money from the school (for almost every year they have been our sole sponsor)

however we do have to fight to be included in the budget

next year it looks like we could get internship credit for participating as well

[BRAVESaj25bd8]

Team 250 isn't really a club or a team from the school's viewpoint. They let us use the school but we're not affiliated with the school at all. But I guess that would kind of make us a club because I guess I'm seeing that clubs are not funded while teams are. Oh well, makes all the fundraising mean that much more . Colonie High School rocks for letting us use their tools and equipment. They also give us a place for storage. I'm trying to get our team affiliated with the school so that even if we don't get any funding, we can still get recognized or something on the morning announcements. That way, it would be a lot easier to bring kids into the program.

[Bcahn836]

We are referred as the Robotics Team. but some of the "other" kids call it robot club.

[Tytus Gerrish]

it's a club if you have a bunch of people who Hang out and do nothing

It's a team if all you all work together and cooperate to win

[Billfred]

As far as I know, each school within District Five considers robotics a club. I don't consider it a knock, since Irmo's science team (state champs this year--woot) and quiz team (back-to-back national champs a few years ago--double woot) are also clubs.

We've got workspace (the engineering classroom at Irmo, plus a storage closet that's just ours, except for one small network switch high up on the wall), and competitions are field trips (and are thus excused). The district also helps with money, but I'd rather not dive off that cliff at 8:13 AM.

[omutton]

Team 1006 is known as a team. For next year, FIRST Robotics will be a course but we will continue to be a team.

[sammie771]

That's cool...does that mean you will get a credit for it?

[omutton]

Originally Posted by sammie771

That's cool...does that mean you will get a credit for it?

Yes, we have developed two courses for first semester. One will focus on the mechanical aspects of robotics, where as the other will be for design and administration.

If you would like information on these courses, feel free to e-mail me and I will send you some information about these courses aso that you too can bring the core values of FIRST into education.

[Jim Kosaski]

I would consider ourselves a robotics club. The school has told us that the only help they would lend to us is a bus to go to any regionals. They said if we are able to make a robotics class that they would try to fund us that way. We will have to work at finding a company to be our main sponsor for next year, and then do other fundraising for the rest of our funds.

[karinka13]

Everyone on the firebirds considers us a "team" mainly. But to the school we're still just a club. We don't get any money or even recognition. I'm not saying anythig bad about sports teams, but everyone is encouraged to go to their events whereas we have to struggle just to get an announcement made that we placed 15th at drexel. Our last president really liked the team and was going to support us, but she was only president for 4 months. We work out of a section of the convent basement and have to beg for use of the gym for one weekend.