Use this form to submit your contact info. This will add you to the mentor email list and count towards the enrollment cap.
As a Mentor or Coach of a FIRST team, you are, through the kids, the key ingredient in the success of your team. Your contribution to the success of FIRST programs and ultimately to the success of FIRST is immeasurable.
WHS Robotics Mentors
A common question regarding mentoring is the time commitment necessary. The real answer is that there's a wide spectrum and we'll take whatever works for you. Over-simplified choices are:
Build season starts the first Saturday in January and has six week duration. There are additional pre-season needs for training / orientation and during Friday and Saturday of competition weekends.
The "<1 day per week" selection is intended to serve as a place-holder. It keeps the mentor on the mentor email list but doesn't contribute to enrollment capping calculation.
Is mentoring primarily needed during build times?
The greatest mentoring gap is during build season.
Are mentors required to be at competitions?
Supervision of students is necessary but it isn't required to have all mentors attend competition. About 30% coverage is adequate.
Are all mentors required to be present on all Saturdays during the build weeks?
No. The guideline of 1 day per week and half a Saturday could be thought of 6 hours per week or 12 hours per two weeks. There's no time clock to punch. Let us know what works for you as we get closer to Build.
What about the competition over Spring Break?
No worries. Do what works for your family. Matches are streamed and recorded so the competition can still be watched. :)
Are kids expected to give up their Spring Break if they already have plans to be out of town??
No, do what works for your family. If "lettering" is important, keep an eye out for other opportunities to earn points, like community events.
These are often medium or long-term projects working with the same group of students.
Project Management
Awards/Scholarship/Alumni
Marketing
Finance
The School, FIRST and Club have rules that require an adult to be present in certain situations. The students generally know rules and safe procedures and the Patronus mentor is there to help students make good choices and fend off Dementors.
These can be short or long-term tasks. Durations vary from hours to weeks. Tasks can be with the same group or revolving students.
Programming/Software Engineering
Assist and instruct team members with:
Electrical Engineer
Assist and instruct team with design and wiring:
Mechanical Engineer
Field Elements