Student Handbook 2026/2027

This handbook applies in addition to, not in place of, the Brimley Area Schools Student Handbook. Team members are expected to follow both. The Brimley Area Schools Handbook is available here.

1 About FIRST

FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young people to be leaders and innovators in science and technology. Through programs such as FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Lego League, students are encouraged to excel in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. FIRST was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen (inventor of the Segway and the insulin pump) and has since become an international organization that has reached hundreds of thousands of students from elementary school through high school. For more information, visit FIRSTinspires.

1.1 About FRC

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is FIRST's oldest robotics program. It is designed to provide a rigorous engineering challenge to high school students as well as teach leadership, collaboration, and project management. Over three thousand teams have anywhere from fewer than ten to over one hundred students with guidance and support from adult mentors. Each year, every FRC team builds a robot to compete in a game released in early January.

1.2 Gracious Professionalism®

Gracious Professionalism® is part of the ethos of FIRST. It's a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. Through Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain coexist. Participants compete intensely while treating each other with respect and empathy. There is no trash talking, nor disingenuous platitudes. Knowledge, competition, and empathy blend comfortably.

1.3 Coopertition®

Coopertition® fosters innovation by promoting unqualified kindness and respect in the face of intense competition. At FIRST, Coopertition means teams help and cooperate with each other, even as they compete. It's about learning from teammates, teaching others, collaborating with mentors, managing, and being managed. Coopertition embodies the spirit of competing while assisting and enabling others whenever possible.

2 About the Team

FIRST Team 4392, the Deceivers, is an FRC Team established in 2012. The team consists of 9th-12th grade students and adult mentors. Since we have a small space, we limit the team to 20 students. If we do not fill the available spots with 9th-12th grade students, we will look to fill them with 7th and 8th graders. The middle schoolers will be chosen by the mentors based on academics, no referrals, and teacher input.

2.1 Mission Statement

TODO

This needs to be done

2.3 Core Values

TODO

This needs to be done

2.4 Team Goals

The goals and objectives of the Brimley Robotics Team, the Deceivers, FIRST Team 4392 are:

• To inspire students to study science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM)
• Apply real-world application of science, engineering, computer science, mathematics, and competition in a new and different way.
• Learn business management skills
• Develop people skills, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.
• Develop technical skills that cross over into college and industry.

2.5 Disciplines within the team

The team has various disciplines that everyone can contribute to. You are allowed to choose more than one. The team also has event roles that have specific selection criteria to be chosen for.

Disciplines within the team

• Mechanical
• Electronics
• Programming
• Design
• Strategy
• Scouting
• Media
• Business

Competition roles

• Impact Presentation Team
• Drive Team
• Strategy and Scouting Specialists

More information about these roles can be found on the competition page

3 Sponsorship and Finances

FIRST Robotics is a very expensive endeavor requiring corporate sponsorship and student fundraising efforts. The team needs to raise about $60,000 a year. This covers registration for the team, robot parts, new tools and equipment, team uniforms, buttons and giveaways, as well as food, gas, and lodging for 2-11 nights.

Ingrained in every action of the Brimley Robotics Team should be awareness of the need to recruit, maintain, and express gratitude to sponsors of the program. Participating students should be prepared to participate in fundraising. Our goal for the team will be to raise funds for the full amount - to cover all the expenses for every student, so they do not have to pay to play. We expect all students to participate in each fundraiser to make this happen.

3.1 Student Fundraising Requirements

We ask that all students participate in the team’s fundraisers. If a student will not be participating in fundraisers, he/she will be required to pay $100 by the end of January to fully participate in robotics competition events.

4 Student Expectations

In order to remain a member of Team 4392-The Deceivers, all students are expected to follow the listed student expectations:

• Team Character Expectations

  • Maturity
    • We take our responsibilities seriously and follow through on them.
    • We stay calm, focused, and safe under pressure, when time is short, or when plans change.
    • We make good decisions without needing constant supervision.
    • We take responsibility for our mistakes, learn from them, and focus on solutions rather than blame.
    • We make fair decisions and don't use any role to control or exclude others.
  • Communication
    • We give clear, useful information and listen carefully to teammates and mentors.
    • We communicate respectfully, even under pressure or disagreement.
    • We speak up early when something is unsafe, unclear, incomplete, or not working.
    • We share important information with the full team rather than deciding alone or leaving others out.
    • We ask useful follow-up questions and confirm that information was understood.
  • Respect
    • We treat teammates, mentors, volunteers, judges, referees, opponents, and alliance partners with respect.
    • We represent the team positively in the pits, queue, stands, and on the field.
    • We handle wins, losses, penalties, and difficult calls with Gracious Professionalism.
    • We speak about other teams respectfully and never belittle their members, robots, or performance.
    • We treat every teammate's contribution as valuable.
  • Teamwork
    • We put the needs of the team and alliance ahead of personal attention or credit.
    • We trust teammates to perform their roles and support them in doing so.
    • We work well across sub-teams and alliance partners.
    • We help create an environment where everyone can stay focused and succeed.
    • We help newer members learn without making them feel embarrassed for asking questions.
  • Humility and Coachability
    • We listen to feedback without arguing, blaming, or making excuses.
    • We're willing to change habits, strategies, or techniques when needed.
    • We recognize that every member contributes to the team's success.
    • We separate personal opinions from evidence and update our thinking when better information becomes available.
    • We celebrate success without becoming overconfident.
  • Dedication
    • We attend meetings, practices, and competitions consistently and on time.
    • We're willing to put in extra time outside normal hours when necessary.
    • We prepare independently — studying the game, rules, robot, and team strategy.
    • We stay engaged throughout the entire season, even when we're not directly on the field.

• Forms

  • Submit all required forms by the first official team meeting; the first Saturday in January. This includes Deceivers registration, field trip form, and parents' sign handbook. The registration process can be found on www.deceivers.org.
  • FIRST registration online with STIMS. This includes the FIRST Consent and Release form, which is separate from the team’s.

• Academic Eligibility

  • All robotics students’ grades will be checked every Thursday at 11 am.
  • If a student has a D on their report card, they will need to go to tutoring to bring up their grade before coming to the meeting.
  • If a student has 1 or more failing grades at grade check, they will be ineligible (beginning 8 AM Monday and continuing through Sunday evening).
  • An ineligible student must attend Brimley's After School Tutoring before coming to build meetings. During ineligibility, students will not travel with us to competitions. Also, if competition is at LSSU, students should not miss school to attend competition.
  • Grade ineligibility will be discussed with the student, and an email will be sent to parents/guardians to inform them.
  • Eligibility for fall robotics will be determined by the final marking period grades from the previous school year.
  • Students with three Es on their report card for the semester will be put on a semester academic suspension.
  • If competition falls between quarters or semesters and there are no grades in Skyward, the previous marking grades will be used to determine eligibility.

• Outreach Requirements

  • Students are required to volunteer for outreach activities during each season. Students must volunteer for a minimum of 6 different activities, but more may be needed. Activities include 2 concessions, VFW Fish Fry’s, Craft Show set up and take down, Soo Locks Engineers Day, demonstrations, Coffee Wednesdays, summer camp, LSSU competition set up, roadside clean up, FLLC mentoring and more.

• Robotics Cords

  • Students will have the opportunity to earn cords to wear at graduation. Students must be on the robotics team a minimum of two years, have a 3.0 GPA at graduation time, and have a minimum of 15 hours of volunteer service each year the student is on the team.

4.1 Attendance

• School Attendance

  • An absence by a student on the day we leave for competition will cause that student to be ineligible to participate in the competition or meeting on the day the student is absent. Unless the absence is accompanied by a doctor’s note.
  • In addition, the student must be in attendance for at least one-half of a day to attend a meeting, and that absence must be excused.

• Meeting Attendance is taken at every team meeting by a mentor. If you are unable to make a meeting, please notify us on Discord. The build season is especially intensive and requires a significant commitment from January through the end of April.

  • The first week of the season is MANDATORY Monday - Friday! Must be there every day for 2 hours, as a lot happens the first week.
  • The rest of the season, students must attend a minimum of 3 days and 10 hours per week.
    • Failure to meet these requirements can result in removal from the team.

• These are the following criteria for attendance:

• Present

  • Being physically present is not enough—students must be attentive and productive during meeting time to be marked “present.” Present markings will count positively towards your attendance percentage.

• Unproductive

• If you are not sufficiently productive or are distracting others during a meeting, the subteam lead may mark you “unproductive.” You will be given warnings when you are marked unproductive so you know what behavior was at fault and should not be repeated. Being marked “unproductive” will count negatively towards your attendance percentage. You will be asked to leave the room.

4.1.2 Monthly Team Member Evaluations

• At the end of each month, the team members will be re-evaluated to ensure that only those who are committed will remain as members of the team. In general, students who are below the needed 10 hours or 5 hours per week will be considered for re-evaluation. If a student is below their minimum hours, they may be able to make them up. However, if they are too far behind, making the hours up may be difficult. All students below the required hours per week threshold for the current month will be notified by a member of leadership as a warning. Dismissal from the team will also take into consideration issues outside of attendance.
• Dismissal for reasons other than attendance will be handled using the procedure outlined in Section 4.6 Consequences. Reasons for dismissal may include, but are not limited to:
  • Behavior in and outside of team meetings
  • School referrals
  • Initiative
  • Work ethic

Mentors will talk to students who are not meeting the requirements necessary to stay on the team or have exhibited behavior that puts them at risk of being removed from the team. If it is found that a student should be removed from the team at the end of the month, we will set up a meeting with the guardian and student to discuss the reason for the removal, and the student will be removed from the team Discord.

4.2 Codes of Conduct

• Student behavior is subject to all local, state, and federal regulations, including those of Brimley High School, regarding bullying, harassment, discrimination, or other behavior that creates an unsafe or hostile team environment. These include actions at school, during team meetings, competitions, or in online forums used by team members, regardless of whether they are team-sanctioned communication platforms. In addition, team members are subject to the following team-specific expectations.

4.2.1 Everywhere

• When you wear the Deceivers logo, you are representing our team, school, community, sponsors, and yourself wherever you are. You should treat others with respect and kindness because your behavior impacts everyone that you represent. At competition, what you say to another team member and how you say it may be overheard by a judge, potential sponsor, or member of another team. Any invited guests must understand this and behave accordingly. All your actions as a team member reflect directly on the team’s image.

4.2.2 During Team Meetings

• Team members are not to use their phones at team meetings or functions unless it is necessary for the work they are doing or otherwise directed by student leads or mentors.
• Unacceptable behavior includes but is not limited to: playing games, using social media, or other distracting and unproductive tasks. Students who continue to exhibit unacceptable behaviors during a team meeting may be sent home.
• Treat others how you want to be treated—to help sustain our professional and respectful working environment. To create a professional working environment conducive to new ideas and change, our team has a strict no bullying or harassment policy. This includes physical, online, or verbal bullying. In addition to these guidelines, see the district’s general policy.
• Students are expected to take initiative during team meetings. If students have nothing to do, they should seek out tasks from their peers or mentors on the team.
• There is always something to do. There are always items that need to be put away. If a student refuses to work on a task, they will be asked to leave.

4.2.3 Online

When representing our team online, please remember Gracious Professionalism. Just like at competition or in public, you are representing our team and must remember to be humble, professional, and considerate. All posts and thread replies must be reviewed by a member of Student Leadership or a mentor before being shared.

4.2.4 Competition

Before competition, students must go to their teachers and get the work that they will be missing while they are gone.

• He/she will need to have their teacher fill out a homework sheet and give a copy to Mrs. Pomeroy.
• During travel events, everyone will have an hour of homework time every night we are gone.

Plan to attend for the duration of the competition and stay with the team until the competition is over.

• If you are leaving a competition at any time with a parent/guardian, a paper must be signed that says Brimley Area School is not responsible for you during the time you are gone. If you are returning, there will be a curfew of 9 pm. Once you return, you will have to work on homework.
• Always be respectful to other teams, event volunteers, and parents.
• Stay with the group. If you need to go anywhere, let the appropriate mentor know and find a reasonable time to do so. If you are needed and you are not present, it will reflect poorly on you.
• Stay on task and fulfill your role at competition. Making friends with students from other teams is highly encouraged, but when you are scouting or performing other tasks during competition, refrain from excessive socialization.
• All mentors and students are expected to be in the stands when our team is on the field.
• Medical or health concerns: If a student has any medical or health concern, we will meet with the guardian, student, and high school principal to put an action plan in place. If the medical condition is beyond the capabilities of the mentors and coaches to manage effectively, a parent/guardian must travel with the team, or the student will need to travel with their parent/guardian.

4.3 PDA Policy

All members and mentors are expected to maintain professional behavior, both in public and at team meetings. Professionalism can be upheld by establishing and adhering to a standard of behavior, shown through a student’s attitude, attire, and communication. Additionally, all relationships on the team must remain professional, especially with any potential for public displays of affection (PDAs). PDAs are acts of romantic physical intimacy visible to others, not to be confused with platonic acts of friendship. Robotics meetings and events are places for students to work and be focused, and PDAs can be distracting not only to those involved but also to those who witness it. If engaging in a PDA, students create an unprofessional image and an impaired working environment for the team, whether during a team meeting, competition, or other event. Therefore, all forms of PDA are considered inappropriate and are prohibited at any team event. If you are in a relationship, do not let it interfere with robotics.

• Unacceptable PDA includes but is not limited to:
  • Intimate touching
  • Caressing/stroking/fondling
  • Kissing
  • Cuddling
  • Sitting in another person’s lap
  • Rubbing or massaging
  • Hugging in a romantic manner

We expect mentors to apply these guidelines to themselves with the maturity of an adult mentor. Additionally, student and mentor relationships must always remain strictly platonic and professional. See FIRST’s Youth Protection Policy for more detail. Failure of a student to adhere to this code will result in initial warnings from the captains, and possibly involvement from mentors. If an inappropriate situation arises in which Core Leadership feels it is necessary to intervene in the moment, they will do so. We also follow Brimley Area Schools PDA policy.

4.4 Team Dress Code

All students must adhere to the Brimley High School dress code.

• This includes but is not limited to:
  • Students must wear clothing that covers one’s undergarments and private parts.
  • Students must NOT wear clothing that depicts violence, obscenities, pornography, nudity, or sexual acts in any manner.
  • Students must NOT wear clothing that displays hate speech targeting groups based on their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or any other protected group.
• In addition:
  • Long hair must be tied back.
  • Safety glasses must be worn.
  • Closed-toe shoes must be worn.
  • Jewelry is not acceptable if it can entangle into robot parts or into machinery, and is generally discouraged.

4.4.1 Team Apparel

If you are wearing a team shirt or any piece of team apparel, you are representing the team everywhere you go. Do NOT behave inappropriately while wearing team apparel. Shirts and other team apparel may NOT be noticeably modified—for example, a leftover large shirt given to a petite student may be tailored, but cutting off sleeves, lowering the neckline, or any damage to any logos is not allowed. Team apparel should not be sold to anyone outside of our team, regardless of the circumstances. It can be traded to other FRC members, but should NEVER be sold to them.

4.4.2 At Competition and Other Events

It is important for the team to maintain a unified image. As such, we require all team members who are attending competitions, fundraisers, demonstrations, or off-season events to wear Deceivers' attire; the logo must be visible to all.

4.5 Behavior Violations at Competitions

For most competitions, the team is away from home. Behavior violations at competitions are particularly serious since they may involve issues that result in immediate safety concerns or negatively affect team cohesion and performance. As a result, students may be asked to leave the competition, which may require them to be picked up by a parent or guardian, or have a parent or guardian arrange for transportation home; This transportation will be at the expense of the student and their parent or guardian. The determination to have a student sent home is at the discretion of the mentors. In some cases, the behavior will be addressed following the competition by the high school principal or superintendent.

4.6 Substance Use Policy

Use or possession of tobacco (even if you are 18 years of age or older), Vaporizers (with or without nicotine), alcohol, or illicit drugs is strictly prohibited. Use of these substances not only affects the physical fitness of the user, but also has a negative effect on the mental attitude of the student and his or her teammates. Use, possession, concealment, distribution, sale, or being under the influence of any of the following is prohibited.

• Tobacco, tobacco products, or nicotine in any form (even if you are 18 years of age or older)
• Vaporizers (with or without nicotine)
• Alcohol or alcoholic beverages in any form
• Marijuana or any derivative of
• Illegal drugs, including but not limited to those substances defined as “controlled substances” pursuant to federal and/or state statute, and including inhaling fumes of glue
• Drug paraphernalia in any form
• Steroids, human growth hormones, or other performance-enhancing drugs
• Substances purported to be illegal, abusive, or performance-enhancing, i.e., “look alike” drugs
• Prescription drugs not prescribed to the individual
• Non-prescription drugs used in an inappropriate manner

It shall not be a violation of the Student Code of Conduct for a student to use or possess a prescription or patent drug when taken pursuant to a legal prescription issued by a licensed physician for which permission to use in school has been granted pursuant to board policy. A student shall notify his or her coach if he or she is taking a prescription medicine that could alter the student’s behavior or affect the student’s ability to participate in a physical activity. Any student who voluntarily seeks substance use treatment before a violation is reported and is facing possible code violations and subsequent penalties will not face any disciplinary measures for seeking treatment. Subsequent violations will result in athletic code violations. Disciplinary Procedure

• If a student is accused of violating the substance abuse policy, the coach will notify the student of the alleged violation. The student’s parents/guardians will be notified by the robotics coach and/or the principal. This notice will state the alleged violation and the penalty to be imposed.
• Appeal Process
  • A student and his/her parents/guardians may appeal the action taken by the athletic director within five (5) school days of the action. An appeal must be in writing to the principal. The principal may uphold or modify the penalty imposed within three (3) school days. Should the student not be satisfied with the action of the principal, the student may appeal to the superintendent of schools, who may uphold the action taken or modify the penalty. The student reserves the right to appeal the decision of the superintendent to the Board of Education. The Board of Education will not take action until the above process has been followed. During the appeals process, the student will remain on suspension.
• Violations of the Substance Use Policy
  • First Violation- After a complete investigation and evaluation of the facts, the student will be informed of the following two options that he/she must choose from:
    • Option 1 – The student will be suspended from 25% of the total regularly scheduled robotics contests the student will be or is presently participating in. The penalty will become effective immediately upon notification and will be served in a consecutive manner until complete. (Fractions will round up at .5 or above and down at anything below .5.)
    • Option 2 – The student will be suspended for 15% of the total regularly scheduled robotics competitions the student will be or is presently participating in. They will also complete NFHS course(s) assigned by the high school principal within three (3) days of being assigned.
  • Second Violation- A second violation of the substance use policy will result in the student selecting one of the following two options.
    • Option 1 – The student will be suspended for 50% of the total regularly scheduled robotics competitions the student will be or is presently participating in. The penalty will become effective immediately upon notification and will be served in a consecutive manner until completed.
    • Option 2 – The student will be suspended for 25% of the total regularly scheduled robotics competitions the student will be or is presently participating in. The student also must enroll in and successfully complete a substance abuse program. Failure to complete the substance abuse program will be considered as a third violation of the substance abuse policy, with the penalty of that level applicable.
  • Third Violation- A third violation of the substance abuse policy will result in the student being suspended from participating in any interscholastic athletics for one calendar year.
    • If the first or second violations occur at the end of the season in which the student is participating where there is less than 25% or 50% respectively (whichever is applicable) of the contests remaining, the student will be suspended from the remainder of that sport and a portion of the next sport season in which the student participates. The number of events will be determined by the season in which the violation occurred. The student must complete the season in order to count that season for suspension. If a student is participating in a sport at the time of the violation, the student must continue to practice in that sport. If a student is participating in dual sports, the punishment will apply to both sports. Additionally, if a student comes forward and self-admits to his/her coach or Principal within a 72-hour period from the occurrence of any violations described in this section and before it is reported by another source to appropriate school personnel, the student may be subject to a reduced consequence of no more than 50% of the specified sanction. Furthermore, any suspensions that are a result of a rules violation do not begin until the student is academically eligible. All violations are on a sliding calendar year scale. The calendar restarts with each new infraction. After a year without a violation, the student will go down a level. Example: A student who is on their first offense, fulfilling a year violation-free, will be at zero. A student who is on their second offense, fulfilling a year violation-free, will go down a level to one, which means if they were to violate the code during the subsequent year, they will be on their second violation.

5 Workspace Rules

• If you wish to borrow a piece of team equipment outside of a meeting, ask a mentor.
• Follow all safety guidelines and protocols. Use of team tools is a privilege, not a right, and safety is paramount. Do not use a machine or tool unless you have been trained to use the equipment.
• Return all tools and equipment to their given places.
• If a student leaves before a meeting is over, he/she must also help clean up before leaving.
• Do not download or install programs onto the programming, CAD, or business/media computers without permission.
• At the end of each meeting, the last 15 minutes will be dedicated to cleaning, at which time every member in attendance will help clean up the space that was used. If students are staying later than the official meeting time, clean up will still happen at the end of the official meeting time, and any students staying later will be expected to leave their workspace clean.

6 Parent Volunteering

Parents who wish to get involved may help mentor or help in the ways listed below.

6.1 Food

During build season, we ask parents to provide Saturday lunch for the team, since they have a long workday. We also ask parents to donate snack items and water during build season, so the kids have a snack after school before the meeting.

For competitions, I will share a Google Doc of items needed for the trip, such as snacks, lunch, and dinner items that parents/guardians can sign up for. We may also ask for certain items needed for fundraisers.

6.2 Volunteers

We highly encourage parents/guardians to participate as volunteers, as they are necessary for our team to run smoothly. Parents/guardians may help with organizing events, fundraising, and volunteering at events.