Multi-school team help??

[Prepclub1939]

My team would like to add another(possibly two) school(s) to our team, and i'm wondering, assuming other teams have done so, how they did it?? help please

Thanks,

[Molten]

Ok, my team isn't necessarily a one-school thing. We are a part of a program where a lot of kids from different schools travel to learn things such as welding and machining. Kids from other schools are welcome to join. We do host them at one school, because that is where the teachers and most of the students go to. We don't have alot of students come in from other schools so I don't know how useful this is. My suggestion, is to just make any forms vague as far as the school goes or else you will have to make multiple forms and that adds to complications. Also, FIRST does not have anything against such a thing. I am fairly certain there are quite a few teams set up this way.

[StephLee]

Our county only has two high schools, so we are a two-school team because it means more support and a wider base to draw team members from. We meet at a relatively central location to make it easier, but we went through 2 or 3 other locations before we found a more permanent one (a warehouse the county owns and now lets us use).

If you want more information on our specifics, or if you have a specific question, feel free to PM me and I'll do my best to answer.

MOE would be another great place to look for information on how to run a multi-school team.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Prepclub1939

My team would like to add another(possibly two) school(s) to our team, and i'm wondering, assuming other teams have done so, how they did it?? help please

Thanks,

All you need to do is invite them over. Assimilate them into your team's season routines and schedule. Train them using pre-season workshop sessions. I don't see how it would be any different than having a large team..all you're really doing is adding more students, don't see what you really need info on. If they are close by, then they would probably be willing to come down to your school/workshop when you guys decide or based on what you've always done.

Specify what you need answers for. And no, FIRST doesn't have rules against teams being made of multiple schools.

[GaryVoshol]

Team 1025 is a multi-school team. In fact, we're a multi-continent team.

Students from 3 or 4 local schools indicated an initial interest when the team was being formed last summer. As it turned out by the time we got to competitions, we had 2 students from Ferndale (where we met and built), 12 from Royal Oak, and 7 from South Africa. Recruiting efforts for next year will focus on getting more students from Ferndale, and including schools that do not have a FRC program. A day-long demonstration of the robot to various classes in Ferndale HS and Middle School was done just before exams, which generated a lot of interest.

There are many teams that include students from more than one school in a district. 217 and 67 come to mind.

Some school districts do not allow teams to invite students from outside the district. You should check your local policies before proceeding.

One thing that you definitely have to work for is to be sure that the program is not considered to be a "School X" team with members from other schools. Too often those from the other schools are treated as second-class. Every member must be treated equally. Take into account each school's schedule when putting together team events. Don't forget to inform students from the other schools if something changes at the hosting school that changes a build session or meeting.

P.S. You need to change your team number in your profil so your TBA link will work correctly. And nothing helps recruitment efforts more than success - make sure you let them know about your 2008 season!

[tim_reiher]

Team Paragon began as a one school team in 2001. In 2004 and 2006, new schools were incorporated into the team structure, the first being after a team at our public school disintegrated. These incorporations had made our team one of the, if not the only, teams with a private, public, and magnet school as members of the team. We now have 10 returning public school members, 17 returning magnet school members, and one new home-schooled member, after the exit of our private school.

One thing playing to our benefit is having a build space separate of the schools involved with our team. This removes any feeling of one school being superior, or the "primary" school of the team, while also giving us a larger space than any other school could accommodate. Though this may have created some travel problems for students, it also means that we don't need to rely on school schedules for access to our build area. We help those students with transport problems as frequently as possible, also. Over all, the larger build space has been beneficial to our team, in my mind.

Back to the multi-school team, though- unfortunately, due to reasons beyond the team's control, one of our schools is leaving and focusing solely on being a vex team next year. This has rocked our team foundation in a way, but we will still survive, mainly due to the strong support that remains from our other two schools.

I guess my point in writing this is that, yes there are difficulties in having a multi-team school. Sometimes, a school may drop out of the team, costing the team mentors, students, and financial support. Also, it may be difficult to coordinate all schools involved, and to find a build space to accommodate three schools worth of team members. In the end, though, having a multi-team school is definitely worth it. Having multiple schools gives the team a larger student and financial base, and adds diversity to the team. Team members can meet new friends, and interact with other students they may never meet otherwise. Also, adding another school to a team gives that school the opportunity to participate on a FIRST team, when they may not have the resources or support to begin a whole new team. Just make sure your team is prepared and able to incorporate the new students that come with a new team. If this is done, then you should do great. I'd recommend incorporating new schools highly, as it could work to strengthen your team for the future. Your team will be changed, and may have something of a new identity, but will likely be all the better for it.

[KathieK]

John Larock and I gave a presentation at the 2005 FIRST Conference on this topic - you can see our presentation on the FIRST training site: http://first.wpi.edu/2005CON_Managin...chool_Team.ppt

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

[DarkFlame145]

145 is made up of 4 sometimes 5 schools. You need to get students and teachers or other adults interested. If the demand is enough the Admin should allow the school to take part.

[Akash Rastogi]

We've had kids from Roxbury, Randolph, and I think even some Long Valley kids join our team before.

How have you guys dealt with the case of who gets to keep trophies or awards? I would assume that after a few years, all schools would feel that they deserve some of them.

[Mark Holschuh]

Fondy Fire is open to all the students who are willing and able to come to our meeting place, which is at a Moraine Park Technical College. This year we had students from four area high schools, plus internet and home school students. Our team name was chosen specifically so that it is identified with our community, not with any one of the schools in particular.

The trophies and banner have traveled to several of the schools for temporary display, but we have a permanent trophy case at MPTC.

Its amazing to see teams that are made up of students from different schools who all come together so well.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Mark Holschuh

The trophies and banner have traveled to several of the schools for temporary display, but we have a permanent trophy case at MPTC.

Its amazing to see teams that are made up of students from different schools who all come together so well.

I admire a team that works together like that. Its really impressive.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by lilstogi11

We've had kids from Roxbury, Randolph, and I think even some Long Valley kids join our team before.

How have you guys dealt with the case of who gets to keep trophies or awards? I would assume that after a few years, all schools would feel that they deserve some of them.

Well, we keep the trophies at the main school where we meet. The awards go to each student that earned them. (we have a bit of a small team.)

[JudyVandy]

84 is a team composed of students from 4 different school districts, at this time. During our 12 year history, we have had students from as many as 7 different districts and 2 different states, and even home-schooled students.

It will work! I don't think there are any ironclad rules to make things work for an individual team. It depends on your individual situation and comfort zone. One thing we insisted upon was an adult representative from each educational unit, be it school or home school. (A student could not simply come on his/her own.)

Check on John and Kathy's 2005 Championship presentation for some ideas and thoughts.

Good luck in your efforts!

[Carol]

Have you looked intot he funding issues? If your school funds your team, are they willing to allow the funds to be used by other students? Or will the new schools share in the funding?

[gburlison]

I think that for a multi-school team to be successful, you have to find a common bond. Team 662 is a multi-school team, however, we are in a large public school district that has 6 high schools. We are chartered as a district club, and students from all 6 high schools are welcome to join our team. If I understand your situation correctly, The Barstow School is a private school, perhaps you should talk to other private schools in the area. Another approach is to think of the FIRST term Coopertition. In the spirit of Coopertition, talk to students from the school that is your main rival in sports. Explain Coopertition and how a joint venture would showcase the FIRST ideals of Coopertition.