how often does your team meet during build season?

[synth3tk]

Never really thought about it that way. I know if I paid $50 for something I sure as heck would want to be a part of it.

[Mitch1525]

1525 is kinda crazy-ish

Mon-Thru = 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM
Friday = 6:00 PM- 11:00 PM (early season)
Saturday = 9:00 AM- 10:00 PM (early season)
Sundays = 9:00 AM- 1:00 PM (depending on fi there's a football game)

Friday = 6:00 PM- 2:00 AM (end of season)
Saturday = 9:00 AM- 3: AM (end of season)

Weekend of shipping = NO SLEEP AT ALL!!!!!!!

it's great... meetings are not mandatory, just strongly encouraged because we have a relatively small team.

[synth3tk]

I have a question for teams, specifically ones who meet in schools, who can meet late or stay all night. How did you persuade the administration/janitors to let you stay?

[Mitch1525]

Our school is open all night (sorta) and so the school knows that we plan on staying late. We also do not work in our school. We use to computer labs from the start of the season and doing CADD/ INVENTOR while our team mentor has a workshop of his own that he lets us use. We have started feeling bad for him and his family because he never has time with his family during the season and his wife has to navigate around about 7 cars in his driveway if she ever wants to leave. It's kinda impossible which makes the season even more fun. Especially when it snows and someone gets stuck!

[octothorpe]

Originally Posted by blakcheez

I have a question for teams, specifically ones who meet in schools, who can meet late or stay all night. How did you persuade the administration/janitors to let you stay?

We just stay. The janitors don't really come by to kick us out or anything, and the administration is relatively understanding. We have a set of keys to the workshop so we just lock up whenever we leave. Normally our slots are scheduled only as late as 9pm, but if we run a few hours over, nobody's there to notice or care.

Except, actually, the local police force, which has dropped in on a couple late-night work sessions. We assume they just stop by to see why the lights are still on, and to make sure everything's all right. In the past they've usually been perplexed by the robot-building but have apparently decided that we're harmless.

[synth3tk]

Since when have a few thousands dollars for students with a mind for learning ever been deemed "harmless?"

[Blue_Mist]

Well, none of us have been arrested yet, so...

[octothorpe]

Originally Posted by blakcheez

Since when have a few thousands dollars for students with a mind for learning ever been deemed "harmless?"

We work hard to keep up appearances.

Originally Posted by Blue_Mist

Well, none of us have been arrested yet, so...

I'm sure that day will come. The garden will run out of bricks eventually.

[vivek16]

I really hope the garden of bricks is a metaphor and you are not actually using bricks from said garden to prevent your arrests somehow... ( and bricks usually involve some throwing and the some falling, usually destructively...)

thanks for everything guys. keep it coming please

-vivek

[octothorpe]

Originally Posted by vivek16

I really hope the garden of bricks is a metaphor and you are not actually using bricks from said garden to prevent your arrests somehow... ( and bricks usually involve some throwing and the some falling, usually destructively...)

No no no, we're not using the bricks to clonk policemen over the head or anything! Sorry, it was a bit of a 766-in-joke. The garden club needed bricks for an herb garden they were making, and there's a construction site at our school right now that had involved tearing up part of a brick patio. I hopped the fence to "repurpose" some of the extra bricks they had lying around, that's all.

[alex1699]

around six pm to around 10 at night
some time till 2
or 3
or when every we fall asleep
...
that the good part at working at someones house

[Nathans]

Team 4 is probably going to meet Monday - Friday from after school until 9PM and you're supposed to come at least 3 days a week. We have new coaches this year, and weather or not we meet on weekends and exactly how late we stay depends on how much they're willing to do. Our coach up until two years ago had us meeting every day, usually until 1 or 2 AM and starting at 9AM on weekends, with all-nighters on the last weekend. The hours took their toll on the students, and there was backlash from the teachers. As a result, we got a different coach and we're kicked out of the building at 11PM, lest we set off alarms.

[synth3tk]

Wow, that's awful. Some teams can get by on that schedule and still get work done. I think we can do it, but I feel that somehow our coach (a teacher) is afraid, in a sense, of the administration, and rightly so.

[vivek16]

yeah I think that we will have to work our way into such a schedule. once we have a good 25 veteran base we will start to work towards that. for now maybe 6 at the most usually and until 9 or later during ship weekend.

-vivek

[njamietech]

I would just like to say that I am suprized at how many teams have mandatory days.

In my opinion teams should not require their members to attend as school, religion, health, and family all come before any after school activity or event.

this is one of the reasons why team 624 has in the past conformed to the system set up by the University interscholastic league (UIL), which states that a student must be passing in all classes otherwise they cannot participate until the next progress report is sent out (and if they are still failing they still must wait).

but that system has not been implemented since we have changed faculty sponsors.

but still, teams should not require members to attend as grades, family, ect. all come first.