Joining TigerTronics

Interested in joining TigerTronics? Great! Here you'll find out who's eligible to join, what you can expect as a member, and how to join TigerTronics.

Note: This page is intended to simply be a guide for those interested in joining TigerTronics and to let them know what to expect as a member. The hope is this will prevent any new members from being suprised as to what it means to be a TigerTronics member. However, nothing on this page is intended to be anything other than guidelines, and nothing on this page should be taken as official rules or requirements unless otherwise mentioned. For official rules and requirements for TigerTronics members, please see Mrs. Daugherty in room 425 in Union-Endicott High School. For official policies of Union-Endicott High School or the Union-Endicott School District, contact the high school or the district office.

To be eligible to join TigerTronics, you must be a student at Union-Endicott High School and must be eligible to join a school club (for eligibility information on joining a school club, contact the high school). To join TigerTronics and remain a member, you must maintain a minimum overall average in school. For details and the exact minimum average grade you must maintain, contact Mrs. Daughery in room 425 in the high school.

In general, the only requirement to join TigerTronics is that you be a student in Union-Endicott High School.

Expect to work hard, learn a lot, and have fun! TigerTronics (and FIRST Robotics Competition) is unique in that you will be working with both students and real, professional mentors to design, build, and test, and even market a robot. Then, you compete with other teams in high energy, intense competitions. TigerTronics' robot is student designed and built, so as a member of TigerTronics you can expect actually help design, build, and even program a working robot from scratch.

Team members do more than build robots, too. Our members solicit sponsors, write grants, design t-shirts, banners, posters, and pins, take pictures, make videos, work with suppliers, and create websites.

As a member of TigerTronics, you'll learn how industry really works by dealing with it in person and by working directly with professionals. Our mentors range from engineers to professional photographers, and you'll be working with them in person. It's not like a classroom where you're the student and the mentor is the teacher. Mentors offer guidance and advice, but you the student is the one who ultimately makes most of the decisions and does the work.

Being part of TigerTronics is unique, challenging, and fun. The intensity, creativity, challenge, and sheer power of it is like no other activity in high school.

Members of TigerTronics are expected to contribute to the team and maintain a minimum level of academic achievement in school. During the six week build period, members are expected to work a minimum of several hours each week (some of our members work 20 or more hours each week during this period!) During the build period, TigerTronics meets after school every day, and also works on weekends. Although you don't have to work every day, you will be expected to work a minimum of several hours each week and will be expected to work for several hours at a time.

It is appreciated if you try to be somewhat flexible during the build period, since you may depend on others to finish tasks and others may depend on you. In these cases, it is best to work with those you depend on or who depend on you, and if you have a very tight or inflexible schedule this may be difficult. Although its fine to not come every day, routinely skipping several days of meetings during the build period can lead to problems. TigerTronics generally asks members to write down which days they can stay and work on the robot and which meetings they will be able to attend, which helps TigerTronics' mentor's plan their schedules. Members are expected to be able to attend most off-season meetings and several build sessions each week during the build season. We're flexible, though, and able to accommodate most schedules. Most students do not have trouble making the time necessary for TigerTronics.

You will also be expected to stay until the end of meetings for at least a day or two each week to help clean up. We must clean up at the end of each day, and this is a big job which can take as long as an hour. Expect to stay at school late at least occassionally to help clean up (especially toward the end of the build period).

TigerTronics runs one or more fund raisers throughout the year, and members are expected to participate in these fund raisers. Your fund raising is how TigerTronics affords to bring its members to regionals. Members who do not participate in the team's fund raising activities may be expected to pay their own travel and lodging expenses to any competitions or events TigerTronics travels to.

Please try to join before the busy build period, which begins in early January and lasts for six weeks. Because of how quickly we work during the build period, you may struggle if you do not join by the beginning, and if you join too near the end of the build period, you may not be eligible to go to competitions without paying your own way.

The easiest way to join TigerTronics is to see TigerTronics' advisor, Mrs. Daugherty, in room 425 in UE High School. She can tell you when TigerTronics will be meeting and answer many questions you may have. You should be prepared to give her your phone number and email address so you can be contacted for future meetings or other important information. Then, be sure to check your email regularly, since TigerTronics uses email to send its communicate with its members.

You might also want to listen to the morning and afternoon announcements in the high school, since meetings are sometimes announced there.

If you have questions about TigerTronics before joining, talk to either Mrs. Daugherty, another TigerTronics member, or contact us on the internet.

TigerTronics is primarily sponsored by


TigerTronics is additionally sponsored by many others.
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