FIRST and Exams

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Posted by Russell Pauley.

Coach on team #344 from Phoebus High School.

Posted on 1/28/2000 5:04 PM MST



Hello everyone. I was just wondering how does the FIRST building time lines up with exams. Our exams post to have been jan 25-28 if it wasn't for the snow. Last time it lined up close to the same dates (about 2 weeks into building). It makes it very hard to get down and start building when the students have to study. I was just wondering if that is only for my school or does this happen to most of the schools.

Russell

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Posted by Dan.

Student on team #10, BSM, from Benilde-St. Margaret's and Banner Engineering.

Posted on 1/28/2000 11:30 PM MST


In Reply to: FIRST and Exams posted by Russell Pauley on 1/28/2000 5:04 PM MST:



That has happened every year at my school. We lose a week to semester finals, and this year we lost a week to another engineering competition (we will be losing the day before the shippiing deadlines to travel to nationals of said competition as well.) So no, you're not alone; and yes, it's very annoying.
:-Dan

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Posted by Russell Pauley.

Coach on team #344 from Phoebus High School.

Posted on 1/29/2000 6:35 AM MST


In Reply to: Re: FIRST and Exams posted by Dan on 1/28/2000 11:30 PM MST:



: That has happened every year at my school. We lose a week to semester finals, and this year we lost a week to another engineering competition (we will be losing the day before the shippiing deadlines to travel to nationals of said competition as well.) So no, you're not alone; and yes, it's very annoying.
: :-Dan

I was thinking if this happens to most of the teams FIRST might want to look at changeing the dates of the building phase.

Russell

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Posted by Lora Knepper.

Student on team #69, HYPER (Helping Youth Pursue Engineering & Robotics), from Quincy Public Schools and The Gillette Company.

Posted on 1/29/2000 6:50 AM MST


In Reply to: Re: FIRST and Exams posted by Russell Pauley on 1/29/2000 6:35 AM MST:



We just finished midterm exams at the 2 high schools that make up our team. We don't stop for testing, however, so many students still come down to work late on the machine. I know that I'm one of them :-)

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Posted by Russell Pauley.

Coach on team #344 from Phoebus High School.

Posted on 1/29/2000 7:21 AM MST


In Reply to: they may be evil things, but we refuse to stop for them! posted by Lora Knepper on 1/29/2000 6:50 AM MST:



: We just finished midterm exams at the 2 high schools that make up our team. We don't stop for testing, however, so many students still come down to work late on the machine. I know that I'm one of them :-)


oh we didn't stop. But it takes time from studying and if most teams have this problem they might want to change the time. But as I say most if it is only a few teams that this affects them I would not expect them or ask them to change the dates.

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Posted by Michael Martus.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Coach on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central H.S. and Delphi Automotives Systems.

Posted on 1/29/2000 4:24 PM MST


In Reply to: FIRST and Exams posted by Russell Pauley on 1/28/2000 5:04 PM MST:



We face an additional problem.

Yes exams are a problem. With all the requirements we put on students (Min. GPA)and grades cannot drop if on the team or they are put on probation (yes if they have a 4.0 and drop any they are put on probation) their grades are expected to stay the same or rise.

Exams are the second week of the build.

Also we do not start our 'FIRST' class until second semester. This means that the advantage of having them in a class for communication and activities is not there until the third week of the competition.

FIRST is however constrained by the dates, times, Epcot and 6 weeks of build time.

A no win situation.

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Posted by Patrick Seeney.

Student on team #469, Las Guerrillas, from Oakland Robotics and Lawrence Technological University.

Posted on 1/29/2000 8:18 PM MST


In Reply to: Re: FIRST and Exams posted by Michael Martus on 1/29/2000 4:24 PM MST:



This is why every school should start in august like i did, that way the semester ends before christmas break, and we come back for the build time with no exams and the full 6 six weeks to work without those pesky exams to worry about...

Pat

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Posted by Lora Knepper.

Student on team #69, HYPER (Helping Youth Pursue Engineering & Robotics), from Quincy Public Schools and The Gillette Company.

Posted on 1/30/2000 7:07 AM MST


In Reply to: Re: The advantages of an early school start posted by Patrick Seeney on 1/29/2000 8:18 PM MST:



We don't have an actual class for FIRST. The school system sees it as purely extra-curricular and gives no academic credit for partcipating. We still have the academic and disiplinary restrictions as a sports team, though they do not appear to be as strict as those placed on the Chief Delphi students.

Lora

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Posted by Matt Ryan.

Student on team #69, HYPER, from Quincy Public Schools and Gillette.

Posted on 1/30/2000 5:59 PM MST


In Reply to: FIRST and Exams posted by Russell Pauley on 1/28/2000 5:04 PM MST:



Yeah, it does sort of make it difficult. We had ours Jan. 26-29 (Wed. through Fri.). It took a lot of time that could have been used for designing, etc., but they are necessary. As my teammate said 'they may be evil things, but we refuse to stop for them!' (Lora Knepper Team 69)

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Posted by Chris Orimoto.

Student on team #368 from McKinley High School and Nasa Ames.

Posted on 1/31/2000 1:46 PM MST


In Reply to: FIRST and Exams posted by Russell Pauley on 1/28/2000 5:04 PM MST:



Try living out in a remote island in the middle of nowhere. I'm
extremely thankful NOW that our school year starts in August.
Our semester ends before winter break so there aren't exams to
interfere with the FIRST project. But our location does hinder us
probably as much as your exams do to you all. One more thing,
did I hear right that Team #47 has an actual FIRST class? That's
amazing...our school probably wouldn't give that sort of credit.
Anyway, good luck to everyone through these 'pro