Club Expectations

What is Expected of our Student Members?

1. Attendance

Students are expected to attend all scheduled club meetings and competitions involving their team. Unexcused absences, or excessive excused absences, can result in dismissal from the team. If a student must be absent from a meeting or competition for any reason, that student must inform Mr. Ross in person or via email (peter_ross@ipsd.org) to be to be counted as an excused absence. The reason for this policy is simple: being in the Robotics Club is a privilege in which many other qualified students were unable to participate.

2. Conduct

Students are expected to treat coaches, teammates, competing teams, officials, and fellow students who applied for the club with respect at all times. Members are representatives of NVHS as well as our club. Students are also expected to actively participate in meetings and competition activities. They are expected to take initiative to perform designated tasks to help their team.

Disruptive behaviors–such as unsafe equipment and tool usage, horseplay, excessive socialization, foul language, or confrontational behavior–or lack of participation–such as excessive absences, leaving the meeting area, absorption in personal technology, or otherwise not contributing to his or her team–are grounds for dismissal of the team. If a dispute arises among a team, student members should first try to resolve it themselves (which grows the collaboration skill). However, if the team is unable to resolve a dispute, the coaches should be notified so they can mediate a resolution. Personal technology (i.e. phones) should not be distracting to robotics at our meetings and competitions. There are legitimate needs for phones, such as checking the VEX website, robotics forums, and arranging transportation. However, phones should be out-of-sight after those needs are satisfied.

If conduct becomes an issue with a particular student or students, the coaches reserve the right to either warn the offending student(s), dismiss the student(s) from a given meeting or competition, or dismiss the student(s) from the club based on the coaches' discretion.

3. VEX Knowledge

Students are expected to become familiar with VEX equipment, terminology, and rules pertaining to this year's competition Information about these topics can be found on the VEX Information page.

4. Equipment and Safety

Students will be using light power tools in the construction of robots under supervision of the coach. Students will be expected to take these tasks seriously, and wear appropriate protective equipment for the task. All students must provide their own safety glasses for meeting work sessions and competitions.

The robot equipment and tools are property of the NVHS Robotics Club. Students must take care not to damage or destroy the property of the club or school. Students must not take any equipment or tools off of school property without gaining permission from a coach, which includes completing the equipment checkout form.

Starting in 2019-20, no field elements may be taken from the school building. Also, long term equipment checkout (such as robotics kits) will not be allowed. Examples include over school breaks, end of the season, and during the summer.

5. Academic Expectations

Robotics participants are students first. Students who have failing grades or excessive school absences may be suspended from the club. Chronic academic issues or absences may result in dismissal from the club.