JOIN OUR TEAMS
The Storm Robotics Team is a family of FIRST Robotics Competition Teams consisting of students from Lenape and Cherokee High Schools. Membership opens annually to the students at our schools in September and consists of an application and tryout in order to set our roster by the beginning of October. All students interested in becoming a member of our teams must participate in the tryouts as we have a limited numbers of spots to fill based on the room capacity and other safety restrictions.
Our membership application opens every year at the beginning of the school year for 10 days. Announcements and advertisements at club activity fairs and Lunch & Learn took place at each of our schools during that time period.
Timeline for Joining
September application and tryout period - Students who completed the interest form are sent the application and membership is also advertised in our schools through the announcements and hallway posters. Students who complete the application by the posted deadline are invited to tryouts.
Early October - Membership is set for the school year and a waiting list is maintained if any students decide not to continue their membership in the Fall
General Team Information
The two documents listed below will tell you a lot about team membership and what you can do with our team. Check them out!
You can also take a look at our calendar to see when our meetings are held at our schools.
FAQ
Q: Do I need to have experience in robotics to make the team?
A: No, you don't. We are a teaching robotics team which means that we train our members in what they need to know in order to contribute to our team. The only thing we ask is that our members are open and good learners.
Q: Can I do other sports and activities and still do robotics?
A: Yes and no. Any sport or activity that requires daily attendance during the months of January and February will prevent you from being a part of the team. We meet daily after school during that time to prepare for competitions in March and April. Meetings are far less regular in March and April when we compete so students are able to do other activities but we do ask that they make accommodations to attend competitions on Saturday and Sundays. These competitions normally occur over three weekends during these months. Finally, we are fine with students attending other club meetings and extra help sessions with teachers after school but cannot have students miss multiple meetings in a week in January and February. We will always need to know of any absences ahead of time. Bottom line on attendance - The more you attend, the more your involved with the team and helping us compete at a high level.
Q: How much does it cost to participate in robotics?
All students must pay the $200 LRHSD Activity Fee to participate in robotics. The fee covers many activities, so it is good to get it taken care of early in the school year if you plan to do more than just robotics. If you only plan to do robotics, we'd suggest waiting to pay the activity in case you do not make the team. There are other costs to participate on the team to cover uniform and food expenses. Those costs and purchases are facilitated by our Parent Booster Team.
Q: Why are there a fixed amount of spots on your team?
A: This primarily has to do with shop safety and maintaining a safe working environment with our teachers.
Q: What can I work on as a member of the robotics team?
A: We have a lot of opportunities to do many things related to engineering, business, and marketing on our team. If you have an interest in any of these topics, you're going to get a lot from being a member of our program. Check out the slide show and team handbook to learn more about specific roles and topics within our team. Some example roles on our teams include:
CAD designer
App designer
Robot code writer
Business planner
Video and graphics editor
Scout and strategist for competition
Project lead