School/Team Relationships 2

[ChrisH]

How much money do you receive from your school PTA, ASB, etc?
None directly, however the school is very supportive and provides much support in other ways and participates actively in our fund raisers

Is robotics only a club or is it a class for credits at your school?
Officially, we are an extra-curricular activity. For most of our students it works out better to do things this way in terms of college admissions. As a science class, Robotics would take the place of required science classes. It could be a technical class, but those are actually looked down upon by some colleges. Apparently they don't want to deal with people who can bring some reality into the classroom.

Who does all the PR work for your team (shirts, website, brochurs, fundraising, etc)?
We all help, but we do have a group of students/mentors who direct the activity and do the planning. Every family is required to either provide technical support or do a fundraiser. Many do both.

Does your team work at school or a nearby college? (Where does the building take place and where are team meetings held?)
We generally can't even hold a meeting at our school. We have had three different work areas in as many years. Last year we got to work in the basement of a powerplant. That was pretty cool.

What is the general attitude of people in your school toward your robotics team? Do they think it is cool or nerdy?
Since most of the elegible students participate, I'd have to guess they think it's cool.

On a more individual note, if your team group can't decide on something or they are just sitting around lazy, do you try to get the group to work or do you just do things yourself?
If it's a technical decision, it keeps bumping up the chain until it is either decided or it reaches our technical director who makes the final call. Other decisions are either decided by the relevant commitee or voted on by the entire team, depending on the number of people affected. If people are just sitting around, we try and find something for them to do. Bored kids just get in trouble, one way or another.

Last, who works with your team, Physics teachers, mechanical engineers, math teachers, art teachers, parents, etc?
Since we're homeschoolers, ALL of our parents are also teachers at the school. We also have some technical experts, such as a machine shop owner and some of our engineers, who help out and have no kids of their own. I'm kind of different in that while I'm a technical expert, I also have a kid who until recently was not old enough for the team.