Guidelines
- Introduction to FIRST
- About WOMC
- Team Structure
- Committees & Descriptions
- Fundraising & Financial Obligations
- Expectations
- Board of Education Statement
- WOMC Trips
The FIRST Robotics Competition is a national engineering contest founded by Dean Kamen in 1992. It promotes science and technology in high schools across the world immersing students in the exciting world of engineering. Teaming up with engineers from businesses and universities, students get a hands-on, inside look at the engineering profession. In six intense weeks, students and engineers work together to brainstorm, design, construct and test their “Champion robot”. With only six weeks, all jobs are a critical part of the process. The teams then compete in a spirited, no-holds-barred tournament complete with referees, cheerleaders and time clocks.
The partnerships developed between schools, businesses and universities provide an exchange of resources and talent, highlighting mutual needs, building cooperation and exposing students to new career choices. The result is a fun, exciting and stimulating environment in which all participants discover the important connection between classroom lessons and real world applications.
Each year, the competition is different, so returning teams always have a new challenge to look forward to. However, the details are kept secret until the unveiling at the Kick-Off workshop. This provides a high level of excitement as everyone sees the new challenge for the first time and ideas immediately begin forming in people's minds.
The Hudson High School Team, Weapons of Mass Construction (WOMC) has been in existence since the winter of 2004, and it composed of students from Hudson High School, engineers, parents, teachers and other volunteers. The team generally meets (in September through December) every other Thursday afternoon from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the school's Technology Lab. After the game is released in the beginning of January, there is a 6 week build season in which the team meets 2-4 times a week. All specifics change, so they will be announced via e-mail and/or by phone. After the build cycle, there is 5 weeks of regional competitions and c championship competition that we may or may not attend. In total, there is about a 4 month season, although meeting may extend year-round.
Jack Beyer is the school's Technology Teacher and teacher lead of the FIRST™ program. The team is composed of student-run committees, with adult mentor and a student chairperson, held responsible for the committees actions or lack there-of, providing status reports to Mr. Beyer.
Attendance/Time Cards – as a school program funded by a grant from NCLP program – attendance is mandatory. The Business Committee will track attendance of all members.
fundraising – although all members of WOMC are expected to participate in fundraising for the team, the Business committee is responsible for targeting those who may donate, writing/designing material to assist in soliciting donation, implementing fundraising efforts, tracking donation, sending out thank yous for donations received.
Travel – Plans and organizes the traveling arrangements for the team's competitions; includes shipments of robot and related equipment
Bookkeeping/Budgeting – tracks and reports on all expenses of the team; manages team budget and reports to how funds are spent in relation to maintain budget
Handbook – Revises the handbook when necessary
Animation – Creates the animation for the current year's competition and submits it for judging
A-V/Photography – Responsible for taking pictures, recording video with both cameras and video feed at competitions and documenting the team's activities
Chairman's Award – Creates the Chairman's Award submission for each competition season and submits it for judging
PR/Community Outreach – Organizes and carries out public relations and community outreach; writes all press releases and sends to local newspapers, follows up to aid publication in local media
Team Building/Spirit – Promotes the team's activities to the high school, assists in recruiting for new members, responsible for team's overall appearance, including t-shirt designs, signs and other accessories, keeps spirits up at competitions and keeps a positive feeling
Website – Maintains and updates the team website
Build Team – Brainstorms, designs, fabricates, and assembles the robot
Safety/Machine Operation – Institutes safe procedures during the build phase and acts as a Safety lead at competitions
Programming – Programs the robot control interface
Pit Crew – Students selected from the build team to maintain and repair robot during competitions
Rules/Updates – Keeps fully updated copies of the competition manual
How to win – devises strategy on game plain, intererfaces with R&D team to assist in design
Competitive Assessment – Formulates game strategy and reviews matches, scouts opponent robots to benefit strategy. Works closely with drive team
Drive Team – drives the robot at competitions and scrimmages. Works closely with Competitive Assessment
The team has also started having fall workshops, meant for students on Build and Programming.
Fundraising & Financial Obligations
Students are required to participate in team fundraising activities provided throughout the year. Fundraising is essential to meet the financial obligations for each person's trips to the competitions. Fundraising opportunities are provided so team members can earn their complete expenses if they wish. These obligations are stated as follows:
Last year the team attended a regional event and the national Championship. The team will attend the UTC New England Regional, which is in Hartford, CT. If qualifying to attend the Championship competition, an analysis of fund availability will be determined if the team attends.
Chaperones as well as students are expected to contribute $100 towards their travel and person expenses.
Fundraising events sponsored by WOMC are designed as either group or individual fundraisers. Individual fundraisers are used to defer the cost of an individual's expenses on the team (traveling & lodging expenses) whereas the group fundraisers are used for team expense (shirts, tool,s robot parts, necessary equipment). Students are asked to participate in as many fundraising activities as possible, as it helps not only the team, but also the individual themselves.
Fundraising proceeds may be credited toward present and future incremental goals, but may not be used to earn a refund of previous personal payments.
If a person does not meet any one of the incremental goals through fundraising and/or personal payments will not be allowed to participate in the activity not paid for. These credits and personal payments are used to purchase airline tickets and hotel rooms in advance, so no monies can be refunded. If Mr. Beyer or any other adult mentor is notified early enough, they may be able to find a way to get funds to offset your trip.
If a team member can no longer participate with the team, for any reason, the team will attempt to return “out of pocket” payments made by the team member unless those funds have already been used to make purchases (for example if a non-refundable airline ticket has been purchased). However the team will not return funds raised in fund raising events.
Food and incidentals at competitions are additional out of pocket expenses, unless otherwise specified.
Learning to work effectively as a group, developing personal relationships, fundraising, and accepting and discharging scheduled commitments are elements essential to the growth of the team, and are provided through these fundraising activities. Participation is mandatory in group/team fundraisers unless an appropriate excuse is given in advance of the fundraiser. Examples of potential fundraisers are; pasta dinners, entertainment books, car washes, selling candy/cookies/etc. And concessions at other HHS events.
Note that the team is always looking for major sponsors or contributions of any kind. If you know of a person of business wishing to sponsor or donate to the team please contact the fundraising committee through email or the website (www.vaporizer1665.com).
Enjoying Yourself...Learn & Experience Science a& Technology Teamwork!
Academic Standing
To participate in the program, students must maintain eligibility as defined for club in your school's student handbook.
Group Participation
Students must attend the New England Regional Competition unless a legitimate reason is given ahead of time.
Attendance at the Championship is also strongly encouraged, if the team qualifies
Attendance
Students must maintain a good standing on the team. Good standing is determined by your participation, attendance and attitude.
Each Student is to sign in and out of every meeting.
Each student is to keep their own log of hours spent on the team related activities
Acceptable Behavior
Team Leaders/Teachers reserve the right to remove a student from the team at any time, as long as they have reasonable cause.
The Team Leader also reserves the right to send any student home from a competition at their own expense, if they are behaving inappropriately (to a great extent).
WOMC is a representative of Hudson high School, FIRST and all our other sponsors, thus we expect everyone to behave in a way that is acceptable and expected of such representative.
While at the facility, students are expected to behave respectfully of the other students, adults and facility itself, meaning keeping the facility clean by attending cleaning days and generally picking up after yourself
Students are also expected to be responsible for themselves, especially while using the team's property, and while in the computer room. Students are also expected to be sure they are being safe at all times.
During meetings, students are expected to behave properly and respectfully toward any person at the meeting or running the meeting, side conversations are not acceptable.
If any adult figure has asked a student to perform a task, the student is expected to respond respectfully and continue with whatever was asked. Students are also expected to be respectful and polite to anyone who they encounter.
Self-Motivation
Students, who learn the most, are the ones who ask question, and pester the engineers, SO DO IT, and you'll learn.
No one on the team will force a student to do anything, the student will simply be removed from the team, we do not have room for uncommitted students.
What Students Receive
The experience of teamwork with peers and adults.
The experience of establishing & working to a schedule, and finishing a project in time for a deadline.
Exposure to the field of engineering and professional engineers, as well as artwork, computers, and financing.
Exposure to all facets of a program that designs, delivers, and uses a “real world” product (the robot) to perform to set goals and specifications.
Useful knowledge in choosing a career path.
A challenge to explore their aptitudes, skills and limits.
A great team bonding experience.
Life skills, such as problem solving, teamwork and commitment.
Friendships that will last a lifetime.
Parental Involvement
Not required but strongly encouraged. There are many ways for parents to participate such as: chaperoning, transporting students, assisting with fundraising, planning trip itineraries, etc.
Trips
Need the approval of all Boards of Educations
Permissions slip and other medical forms in on time
Money turned in on time
Recruitment
We want interested and fun students on the team!!
We want to keep former members on the team, if they wish to stay
We want new, young members to join and learn and have a great experience
Our team has a capacity of 25 members currently, but the number can fluctuate according to workload and/or mentors. The travel team is also set at 25 students, but as the team capacity can be adjusted.
Participation in any Hudson City School District extracurriculat activity is considered an honor and a privilege. Exemplary behavior is expected from the representatives of the school system; therefor, anyone participating in activities is required to maintain a high standard of behavior and attitude.
REGULATIONS FOR ELIGIBILITY
Eligibility shall apply to all student participating on the WOMC Robot team.
There will be no use of possession of alcoholic beverages, use or possession of illegal drugs or so called look alike drugs. A. Any violation of the above will result in removal from that activity.
The Basis for eligibility shall be the following: A. School Citizenship – It is expected that each student will conduct him/herself in an appropriate manner in the best interest of the school and the community. There are major and minor disciplinary offenses. For the purpose of eligibility only major offenses shall be considered, such as:
1) Truancy from school or from class – Regular attendance at school and in all classes is an important responsibility of all students, including students involved in extra-class activities. No students will be allowed to participate in any activity on any day when he/she has no reported to school prior to 9 am (unless specifically excused by an administrator).
Any illegal absence from any study hall or class will result in being automatically ineligible for a day.
In the case of a scheduled activity on Saturday, an absence or late arrival on Friday will cause ineligibility on Saturday as well as Friday.
Illegal repeated tardiness - These will be reported by the attendance office to the administration and violators will be declared ineligible on a daily basis. Coaches and advisors are responsible for checking the daily attendance sheet to determine if any member of that activity is ineligible that day.
In School Suspension - A student who has been assigned to In-School Suspension is ineligible to participate in any activity on the day or days of that assignment. In-School Suspension on Friday or the day before a vacation renders the individual ineligible until the next school day.
b. Violation of the approved student behavior code as printed in the student handbook.
Application of school citizenship to eligibility:
a) Building administrators will handle students judged guilty of a major offense.
Application of scholarshop to eligibility:
a) Eligibility will be decided at the end of each ten week marking period (Report Card Day) for all subjects.
(1)Students must be passing at least 80% of all subjects to be academically eligible.
b) Although no formal action will be taken with students reported failing in one subject, the teachers and the activity advisor are urged to meet and take cooperative action to improve the student's classroom effort and achievement. For this purpose, a list of students failing a subject will be supplied to the activity by Guidance.
c) Students engaging in any co-curricular activity will be advised that they must meet all after- school appointments with the classroom teachers. Engaging in an activity is never an excuse for missing extra-help classes or make-up work.
4) All faculty members will be furnished with a roster of eligible students prior to the student's first participation in the activity. Sponsors of activities are to submit this list to the Principal's Office for duplication and distribution to the faculty.
Members of the WOMC Robot team are required to adhere to the bus rules and regulations set forth by the Board of Education in accordance with the state law.
All team members will travel to and from the event by school authorized vehicles unless the athlete travels home with his parents. Special requests to be considered must be presented to the Athletic Director.
On Team trips, Jack Beyer will assume the responsibility for the deportment on the bus.