Join Our Team
Why Should You Join?
There are lots of benefits to joining the team! By joining the team, you can:
Learn new skills!
Make new friends!
Win awards!
Apply STEAM knowledge!
Build robots!
Leave an impact on your community!
Discover new paths and opportunities!
Travel with us!
And so much more!
Everyone who joins our team gets something out of it, whether that's learning how to program robots, discovering a sense of community, or simply finding a fun and enjoyable environment.
Our team may be a robotics team, but we do so much more than just robots. We have many sub-teams (see Sub-Teams Section) that each teach members about diverse skillsets. Some of the skills that some of these sub-teams teach are:
Engineering
Public Speaking
Strategizing
There's something for everyone in our team. After all, we're more than robots!
How To Join
New Members
Step 1: Make Sure You Meet Our Requirements For Joining!
Although we definitely don't expect you to know about robotics before joining, we do expect you to meet the requirements below:
Have an unweighted GPA of 2.75 or higher.
No placement on Desert Oasis High School's "No Fly List," which prohibits access to extracurricular activities.
Membership of only 1 FRC Team (us!)*
*Note: While we may require members to only be a part of FRC Team 8717, members are more than welcome to join other programs like FTC or VEX.
Step 2: Meet Us in the Quad and Come to a Meeting
How to Meet Us Afterschool:
Like all organizations at Desert Oasis High School, every student must exit the building and re-enter the building to check in with our school's after-school check-in program, MINGA. Once checked in, meet with the rest of the robotics team in the Quad and at 1:30 pm, all students for robotics will go to Portable 20. If you're coming after another afterschool activity or event, meet us in Portable 20 directly. If we are not in Portable 20, we are in Room 512.
Step 3: Ask for an Official FIRST Invitation
Once you've gone to a meeting or two, ask our main advisor and head coach, Mrs. John, for an invitation to join the team on FIRST. You will need to give her your email to get sent the invitation.
Step 4: Follow the Steps Provided in the Invitation
Once you receive the invitation email from Mrs. John through FIRST, follow the instructions provided in the email to register with FIRST. You will also need to get a parent to sign your Consent & Release Form online to allow you to participate in any FIRST event. If you are 18 years old, you are able to fill out the Consent & Release Form by yourself.
Returning Members
All returning members must renew their membership every year. Mrs. John will send an email inviting all returning members back to the team, assuming that returning members did not graduate or move schools. This email will have instructions and steps similar to the New Member Invitation for returning members to follow.
For Returning Members to Maintain Membership, they must:
Maintain an unweighted GPA of 2.75 or higher.
Volunteer at 2 fundraising events, 1 outreach event, and 2 FIRST events.
Attend at least 100 hours of all meetings.*
*Note: Although we do require all members to attend at least 100 hours, things come up every now and then. We completely understand if members are not able to attend, so absences will be excused based on circumstance.
Meeting Schedule
Semester 1/Training Season:
Wednesdays and Fridays - 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Semester 2/Build and Competition Season:
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays - 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Saturdays/Build Days* - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
*Note: Build Days will be scheduled when needed. These will always be when there is no school, such as spring break.
Trying to Recruit Someone Else?
If you're trying to get someone else interested in Robotics (more specifically our team), here's our Recruitment Brochure! This is a basic summary of what we do, who we are, and what they could gain from joining. It has all of the most essential information about our team condensed for ease of reading. Feel free to print out copies of it to promote joining our team at Desert Oasis High School. We'd love to have them!
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