How Do We Approach Our School For Robotics Letters?

[Dorienne]

Hello everyone, I hadn't seen this post when I did like a million searches. All I saw were "do other teams have letters" posts or "our school won't give them to us if no other teams have them" and such. So please don't kill me for not seeing anything.

Anyways, I was curious to know how the teams that acquired athletic letters for their team were able to get them. What tactic did you all use, how did you ask?

My school isn't really too supportive of the team, and doesn't see our team for what we really are and what we can do. The administrators love us and are so excited there's a group like us in the school, but we are really unsure at exactly how much of a help they would be. I would like to ask them as well to get their approval if it will alter our principal's decision in any way.

If anyone can give my team any pointers on how exactly to go about doing this, please do so! Our team needs this kind of recognition. We do so much more than the school knows, and this is the perfect way to get them to know just what FIRST is about!

[CyberWolf_22]

ShoemakerHigh School has given members of the Shoemaker Cyber Wolf Corps Athletic Letters with Robotics written on the letter for as long as I can remember. Our school also give letters for high academic standings and many other clubs and teams as long as someone expresses interest in them. The letters are paid for by the recipients because we do not have a strict criteria for what it is required to get a letter it is basically up to are mentors to see how is allowed to purchase them. This process is made a lot easier because our letters are done through an independent company who comes by the school about once a month to measure people for their jackets and to fill out the paperwork and basically if you say that you want a letter in something and a teacher how is the sponsor for that organization allows it you are given a green light to purchase the jacket.

Our team at the moment is looking in to getting a patch system for each FIRST game that are members compete in and all the awards won those years. We will probably be doing this throw a different company that is located in our town that does a lot of the patch stitching and other athletic ware.

[Arefin Bari]

Dori, just an idea. Invite your administrators, guidence counselors and the principal over to your shop/lab/classroom one day and let them drive all the robots you guys have. Trust me... this works. Our admin came in and drove our robot and his perspective towards the team changed!

[Joe Lambie]

I would just ask, maybe have your lead mentor approach at first, and see where things go from there. With my old high school team, we did not receive letters for the first several years, then our lead teacher realized how much work goes into this sport/activity and approached our administrators. After going over some guidelines (i.e. all team members need to sign the code of conduct and setting participation requirements for earning a letter) we got approval and were able to start giving out letters to deserving members. The absolute worse they could say is no, but odds are if other groups hand out letters already such as forensics, drama, and so on, you should have an excellent chance at convincing your admin. that you deserve letters as well. Good luck and let us know how things go.

[Beth Sweet]

Hi Dori,

Step 1: Get on your school board's good side. They will not help you if they don't like you. This can be accomplished by things like asking to bring your robot to a meeting, inviting them to practices/competitions, etc (you get the idea). Make sure that on your robot and at competitions you advertise loud and proud just which school you're with. Just like sponsors, schools like recognition.

Step 2: Find out the requirements for varsity sports to get letters. Do you have to be on the team one year, two? Do you have to make some specific accomplishment (5 home runs, etc)? It's only fair that the robotics team have these same requirements (obviously tweaked a bit if it's a specific requirement) if they intend to get the same reward.

Step 3: First, have 1-2 team individuals speak with a school board member in private and let them know that your team would be interested in presenting this possibility to the school board. (surprises of this nature are not typically well received) Ask if there would be any objections or problems with the idea and try to work out all issues before presenting to the board.

Step 4: Take it to the board! Bring your whole team to the meeting, decked out in 007 gear. Have one team representative speak but make sure it is obvious that the entire team's thoughts reflect this individual's.

Past that Dori, the one's who will probably give you a stink are the sports team leaders. I find that some of them don't like "other groups" getting letters, they think it should only be athletic. At my high school, robotics, varsity show choirs, drama, quiz bowl and other groups were able to attain letters. It's all in how you present yourself and present your case.

Good luck hun!

[Matt Leese]

Originally Posted by Dorienne 007

Hello everyone, I hadn't seen this post when I did like a million searches. All I saw were "do other teams have letters" posts or "our school won't give them to us if no other teams have them" and such. So please don't kill me for not seeing anything.

Anyways, I was curious to know how the teams that acquired athletic letters for their team were able to get them. What tactic did you all use, how did you ask?

My school isn't really too supportive of the team, and doesn't see our team for what we really are and what we can do. The administrators love us and are so excited there's a group like us in the school, but we are really unsure at exactly how much of a help they would be. I would like to ask them as well to get their approval if it will alter our principal's decision in any way.

If anyone can give my team any pointers on how exactly to go about doing this, please do so! Our team needs this kind of recognition. We do so much more than the school knows, and this is the perfect way to get them to know just what FIRST is about!

I know for a fact that the administration of Parkville High School was asked to give letters to the robotics team in the past and it was denied at that time. You may have better luck now but realize that the admistration wasn't receptive before.

Matt

[godzpunchingbag]

Well our team was given letters for the first time this year all the other clubs just get patches so we are considered a official school team now with all the school pirks

[StephLee]

I don't think our school gives out letters at all anymore. Maybe the robotics team could be the first ones!

[Jill1022]

Our team approached the admins about this and they said they needed a written paper on why we deserve a letter. I forgot the requirements but eventually we got ahold of a teacher who worked with us. We typed out a nice paper and this is our first year recieving letters!

As a team we made our requirements for 1st year members must have 200 hours of work and attend a regional and championship. 2nd year members must have 150 hours of work and attend a regional. Needless to say each member had way more than 200 hours!

[XtremeEagle04]

a few thoughts:

sombody could write a letter/comparitive essay toone of your school admins, compairing FIRST ( specificilly your team) to a sports team at your school that recieves a letter. Show how much effort is put in to the robot with time charts and data tables (the administrators love pictures and pretty colors!) compaired to the sports team... show a timeline of what was accomplished in the 6 week build period and your accomplishments through out the season (remember that even making it to a regional event is an accomplishment for a lot of teams, one that some don't achieve every year).
this should show them how deserving of a letter you are. and if they don't listen hold a fund raiser to buy your own..

btw
im not putting downany sport... i played 4 years of varsity LaCrosse in high school and 2 Years of Football, I have Letters for both Plus one for winning the Quizbowl State Championship, but i still wear my robotics letter over all of them!

[jdhawg]

Something else to consider in all of this..... Does the Band get letters? I ask because long, long ago when I was in school I was your typical geeky nerd who wasn't even allowed into the gym if a basketball game was being played. But I was in the band, and we got letters at the end of the year. I still have my old band letterman's jacket in the closet at my parents house, and my wife still has her letter sweater the she wears from time-to-time.

Set out some very specific requirements for earning a letter. Requiring a minimum number of hours to be worked, attending a regional / championship event, off-season mentoring to younger students are all things that will show the administration you are more than just a silly little club, and instead are a valuable extracurricular activity that deserves the recognition a school letter brings.

[Kims Robot]

We are looking into doing the same thing for our students. I think one more thing that might help (especially in addition to Beth's post), would be to calculate the shear number of hours that your main group of students put in.

Because FIRST is often a year-round commitment, most FIRST team students will put in almost double if not more time than a sports team. This is a pretty big number when you go to your school and try to prove the efforts of your team.

[Dorienne]

Thanks everyone for the advice, so so so so much! I appreciate it all.

As of a month or so ago, we asked for approval from our administrators to get letters for our teammates for the 2006 season. It has been approved!

We are all extremely excited to announce it to our team, and we are working on a design now. It is so wonderful, I am so excited. Thanks to all for your help, it is truly appreciated!

--Dorienne from Team 007

[santosh]

Awesome. In a month, we will be approaching the state of Georgia for statewide robotics letters.

[DarMagi]

Originally Posted by Arefin Bari

Dori, just an idea. Invite your administrators, guidence counselors and the principal over to your shop/lab/classroom one day and let them drive all the robots you guys have. Trust me... this works. Our admin came in and drove our robot and his perspective towards the team changed!

i couldnt agree more, i mean anyone who isnt interested in robotics has certaintly had their minds changed once they drive them, myself included - adults are usually kids at heart, just bigger kids that like education, so let them play as you talk about the educations and values behind it, quick and dirty, and effective - just dont let them break anything, lol.