Go to Post Now, I either need to convince Mike Martus to start the webhug early (or move it back 1 hour), skip the webhug, miss the first part of the presentation, or just clone myself. - Andy Baker [more]
Home
Go Back   Chief Delphi > FIRST > General Forum
CD-Media   CD-Spy  
portal register members calendar search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read FAQ rules

 
 
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
  #21   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 04-06-2006, 15:31
gail gail is offline
Registered User
#0469 (Las Guerrillas)
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: oakland cty
Posts: 62
gail is a name known to allgail is a name known to allgail is a name known to allgail is a name known to allgail is a name known to allgail is a name known to all
Re: Attn. Michigan Teams: $2,000,000 FIRST Pledge Cancelled

I received a copy of the letter Jack Jones sent off to the appropriations committee. It's so fabulous I thought I would share it with you here.


Jack Jones to scotthummel, SenRJelinek, SenACropsey ...

Dear House and Senate Appropriations Committees for Education Members:

I am writing this letter to ask that you please reinstate Sec 99 (C) of the State School Aid Act. The FIRST Robotics program is vital to the growth of the future technological workforce in Michigan. Currently 25% of our high schools participate in the program. Reinstatement of Sec 99 (C) will encourage students from the other 75% of high schools in Michigan to pursue a career related to engineering, science and technology.

I live in Ms. Amos' district (Waterford) and work as a systems research engineer at USA RDECOM/TARDEC in Warren. Over the past three years TARDEC has partnered with FIRST via a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The TARDEC-FIRST CRADA's aim is to develop future technologies by mentoring the development of our future technologists; that is, very best and brightest high school students. We have provided mentoring, manufacturing, and mentoring services to a number of local high school FIRST robotics teams.

Waterford has no FIRST robotics program. That 's because no teacher, administrator, or parent has taken it upon themselves to raise the thousands of dollars necessary to start and maintain a team. It would be like asking the coach and players to raise the money for uniforms, equipment, travel, and to rent a stadium before we'd have high school football. So, it's not surprising that Waterford is among the hundreds of districts that has no FIRST robotics teams.

What is surprising is that 125 of our state's high schools do have personnel who've stepped in where the state and our educational system have failed. They continue to do so year after year because they see payoff when the see their students hit the ground running in the pursuit and in the practice of hi-tech careers. Their dedication and persistence serve as testimony to the value of the FIRST robotics program.

In the past two years I've mentored the Birmingham-Groves FIRST robotics team. Due to the dedication of two teachers, Steve Ligget and Jim Crosby, they've been able to stay afloat. While there I noticed that Groves is building a second swimming pool at a cost of $5 million. They are, after all, State Champs in swimming; but, I wonder how many graduates will earn a living or benefit our nation by doing that.

I wonder also about the State's priorities in this global economy where former third world countries are producing engineers at an order of magnitude to that of America. You see, the State of Michigan should should look at FIRST as a case of sink or swim because a failure to embrace the program will keep us in the current mode where we simply swim and sink.

Regards,

Jack Jones (Waterford-Kettering 67')
USA RDECOM/TARDEC
Research Business Group
Special Programs Office

Those of you who took the time to send an email, regardless of whether it was the short letter I provided, or one of your own, THANK YOU. To those of you who haven't it would be great if you could PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO DO SO TODAY.
Reply With Quote
 


Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
1 to 1,000 Dorienne Games/Trivia 4054 26-06-2013 16:55
9,000 Mike Chit-Chat 3 14-03-2005 17:08
ATTN: Michigan Teams >> Practice Fields Lisa Perez General Forum 2 10-02-2005 17:39
WOW,3,000,000:1 gear reduction ratio in less than 1 mm^2 geo Math and Science 3 09-10-2004 01:21
ATTN Michigan and nearby Teams Rob Ciavaglia Off-Season Events 2 11-04-2002 22:44


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 19:19.

The Chief Delphi Forums are sponsored by Innovation First International, Inc.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Chief Delphi