**FIRST EMAIL**/FIRST Adds District Event Model Alternative to FRC Program

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Joe Matt

This stuck out. This seems to be all about the mentors and FIRST. Don't they forget it's all about the kids, and if they're not learning or having fun, it's a waste?

Joe, please go read some of Dave's posts from around build season. It's not all about the kids, it's all about the partnership between the mentors and the students. (And, a good mentor is also a good student...) Also note that this is the overall number for the team survey.

If the students aren't learning, being inspired, or having fun, they'll quit. This is their option. If enough students quit, then the team no longer exists, and the problem definition changes.

What I'm surprised at is how few students responded to the survey, comparatively. Off the top of my head, about 150-200 mentors and about 100-150 students responded. (I haven't looked at the results in a couple of weeks, so these figures are probably wrong, but I do remember that more mentors than students responded.) This may have to do with the distribution methods, but the ratio of students to mentors responding was low for what the number should probably be. I don't know why.