What's next, Virgil??
Things have been somewhat slow. The biggest thing is the preparation for the end-of-year banquet.
What's been happening there is the flurry of activity around the yearbook. Past years have been taken for granted, there was a sponsor's employee who took care of the yearbooks for both teams sponsored. Several of us were involved, but late in the game.
The team really likes the idea of the book, but there are few who want to spend time on it. Like everything else, requests go out, and no one listens, or that's how it appears to me.
For the past two years, the hurculean task of assembling the images, putting them into powerpoint format and adding things that personalize the book were done by too few people. I was one of those, who at the last minute, spent lots of time futzing around with the pages. We are fortunate to have access to our sponsor's printshop, and the task of printing the 60+ copies isn't one of those tasks I had to worry about.
I resolved that this year, I would not have anything to do with the book directly. And what I am hearing is a whole lot of whining from everyone about the amount of work it is, how tedious it is, etc. I, very bluntly, said to the team that unless some of them stepped up and took over from where Terry left off (she created 100+ pages with tons of images and text), and that if the completed work wasn't in my hands by May 15, there wouldn't be a yearbook this year. I added also that if this was the demonstration of the effort they were willing to expend, then there wouldn't be a yearbook next year either.
Rather harsh, but so what. I am sick of having to coax the team into doing anything.
On another front, I started looking at what it would take to get an introduction to engineering curriculum into the school. Seems that the flurry of sales activity of VEX robotics kits sparked an idea that would allow introduction of VEX into the FIRST program. The little kits are perfect for hands-on training of engineering principles, problem solving and teamwork.
We decided to spend the money and acquired three kits. Then I got to thinking about getting into the school, formally, with these kits. The full price isn't outrageous, and if one considers funding via a grant, the whole shebag can be done for less than $7000. One of the school administrators listened to my idea and was very receptive, so much so, that he did some of his own investigations and even proposed expanding the program to 20 students.
We have a formal quotation from the supplier of the kits and an online curriculum, the bottom line is also a one-time cost to get started. I am now actively seeking a grant.
More later.
What's been happening there is the flurry of activity around the yearbook. Past years have been taken for granted, there was a sponsor's employee who took care of the yearbooks for both teams sponsored. Several of us were involved, but late in the game.
The team really likes the idea of the book, but there are few who want to spend time on it. Like everything else, requests go out, and no one listens, or that's how it appears to me.
For the past two years, the hurculean task of assembling the images, putting them into powerpoint format and adding things that personalize the book were done by too few people. I was one of those, who at the last minute, spent lots of time futzing around with the pages. We are fortunate to have access to our sponsor's printshop, and the task of printing the 60+ copies isn't one of those tasks I had to worry about.
I resolved that this year, I would not have anything to do with the book directly. And what I am hearing is a whole lot of whining from everyone about the amount of work it is, how tedious it is, etc. I, very bluntly, said to the team that unless some of them stepped up and took over from where Terry left off (she created 100+ pages with tons of images and text), and that if the completed work wasn't in my hands by May 15, there wouldn't be a yearbook this year. I added also that if this was the demonstration of the effort they were willing to expend, then there wouldn't be a yearbook next year either.
Rather harsh, but so what. I am sick of having to coax the team into doing anything.
On another front, I started looking at what it would take to get an introduction to engineering curriculum into the school. Seems that the flurry of sales activity of VEX robotics kits sparked an idea that would allow introduction of VEX into the FIRST program. The little kits are perfect for hands-on training of engineering principles, problem solving and teamwork.
We decided to spend the money and acquired three kits. Then I got to thinking about getting into the school, formally, with these kits. The full price isn't outrageous, and if one considers funding via a grant, the whole shebag can be done for less than $7000. One of the school administrators listened to my idea and was very receptive, so much so, that he did some of his own investigations and even proposed expanding the program to 20 students.
We have a formal quotation from the supplier of the kits and an online curriculum, the bottom line is also a one-time cost to get started. I am now actively seeking a grant.
More later.
posted by CBPetrovic at
16:00
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