Vision

"To Inspire and enable students to explore their creativity and engineering skills through the use of science and technology in a fun and competitive atmosphere that teaches them both technical skills while focusing on teamwork and leadership."

Mission

Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging themin exciting mentor-based programs at TEACH that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including selfconfidence, communication, and leadership.

Team Member Qualifications

Qualifications to be a team member are important to ensure the goals and the objectives of the team are accomplished with quality and efficiency. There are minimum qualifications to be

eligible for the team. Team members need to have a genuine interest (but not necessarilyexperience) in at least one of the following areas.

• Technical/Science Related Non-Technical

• Robotics Photography/Videography

• Mechanics Scrapbooking

• Engineering Writing/PR

• Programming Spirit

• Website/Animation Fundraising/Community Outreach
  

Meetings are scheduled for after school Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students are expected to pick either Tuesday or Thursday to attend on a consistent basis.

What makes a successful team member?

Ability to Work Both Independently and as a Team Member:

The ability to work effectively, smoothly and respectfully as part of the team is an asset both for individual members and for the team. However, learning to work independently with little or no

direction is also an important attribute.

Ability to Commit to a Project:

Starting a project and following it through to the end is critical to team performance. Team members need to dedicate themselves, because effective team membership requires many hours

of a student's free time. Careful planning and scheduling are necessary to stay actively involved and to balance team involvement with schoolwork and other activities.

Good Judgment, Honesty, Integrity and Positive Behavior:

Each team member is an ambassador of our team. Team members need to be role models for other students to emulate and respect. Solid behavior choices should be demonstrated at all

times, in and out of school activities. All team members must behave kindly towards all other members on the team and toward the public at large. Other teams are to be treated with respect

and gracious professionalism.

Participation

The TEACH Robotics Team requires many hours beyond the normal school day. Team meetings, events, and activities will be scheduled regularly and as far in advance as possible. Scheduling is the responsibility of the faculty advisor. Meetings will be announced, via email and the team calendar. There will also be occasions, especially during the robot build season, where students are asked to help out on short notice. All Team Members are required to work at two robotics workshops or at one robotic workshop and one other fundraising event.

All Families are required to volunteer 10 hours of adult volunteer time. (10 hours seems to be the standard minimum for winning robotics teams)

Members must pay all dues within 4-weeks after joining if midyear. Prorated Dues are possible if a student joins after Spring Break.

General Opportunities for Involvement

Mechanical/Fabrication: Design & Build Drive train, Design & Build Mechanism

Electrical/Pneumatics: Learn about motor systems and characteristics, wiring, pneumatics, and sensors

Programming: Learn C Programming Language, write and test new code

Web Site: Learn Web Design, Maintain the Robotic Team's Website and group email addresses

Spirit/PR: Update Team Logo, Design t-shirts, Design buttons, Record all Team meetings through photos and videos, Create and Archive old photos and videos, Create team recruiting videos, Write up articles to be included in the school's newsletter

Animation: Create the 30 second animation for the competition

Building/Construction: Research and build training course, Research and Build display for the BEST Competition

Workshops: All team members will have an opportunity to help younger students learn Robotics club principles through workshops.

BEST(Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology)( http://www.georgiabest.org )

BEST is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization whose mission is to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, and technology through participation in a sports-like,

science and engineering based robotics competition.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) ( http://www.usfirst.org )

The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) challenges teams of students and their mentors to design and build a robot in a six-week timeframe, using a standard kit of parts. The team has to analyze the game and strategize what type of robot would perform well. Typical teams meet months in advance of the building period to learn basic skills and be better prepared.

The goal isn't simply to build a robot; the robot is a vehicle for learning much more. The real goal is building a collaborative team, a supportive community and a solid strategy for problem solving during the competition.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
Parents/guardians are an integral part of our team and important to our success.
Supporting your student in all aspects of team involvement is essential for them to get the most out of the program. Students want and need the support of their parents/guardians behind them.
Being involved in any way shape or form shows your student that you are truly interested in this important part of their lives. The members spend a lot of time together. The students learn about hard work, perseverance, commitment, patience, computer skills, respect, engineering, writing, money management, marketing, production, publishing, kindness, time management, and most
importantly gracious professionalism. This is like a full time job for many of the students. Having the involvement of their parents will only enhance it for them.

Ways parents can help assure our teams success:

Soliciting Corporate Sponsors: The more corporate sponsors the team can obtain, the lower the yearly dues for members. We are a new team and currently do not have any corporate sponsors. If you know of a corporation that might be interested in being a sponsor let us know.
Grant Writers: We need volunteers to help procure grants for the team. The more grants we have, the lower our costs.
Provide Meals: During the competition season, the team spends many late nights at the school. We need parents that are willing to provide food and drinks during these late night work sessions.
Mentor/Coach-Technical and non-Technical: We need parent volunteers to serve as cocoaches and mentors.
Construction: We need parents that are willing to lend their expertise in building the practice course and the booth for the BEST Competition
Robotics Workshops: We need parent volunteers to work at our monthly robotics workshops.
This is a very successful fundraiser for our team.
PR: We need parents that can help get our team in the local papers.
Any and all support that can be provided by you and your family is welcome. Every person has unique attributes that can be put to use for the good of our team.