A word from one of our Mentors: Jesse Morgan

Hi there folks! This is Jesse, one of the Mentors of FRC team #6566, The Battering Rams.

Full Disclosure: While I am occasionally a temporary employee of Lamphere (through Edustaff) and my wife is a Librarian at Edmonson Elementary (and a coach for the Edmonson teams), I am not speaking on behalf of Lamphere Schools. These are my own thoughts and opinions as a parent in Lamphere Schools and as a volunteer for the Robotics team.

I wanted to say a few words about the Bond Proposal that’s on the ballot in Madison Heights next Tuesday, May 6th 2025.

Please vote Yes.

Why? One of the things included in the proposal is a dedicated space for all of Lamphere Robotics. It will be a shared space for not only the high school team, but also the middle school and elementary teams.

The bond proposal will pay for the refurbishment of the unused pool at John Page Middle school. The pool hasn’t been used in over 10 years, and is currently being used for storage. The bond will cover filling in the pool, creating a workspace for all of our teams, and adding a new entrance:

robotics_center_proposal

So, what are the benefits of a robotics center? Here are some of the pros and cons (as I see them).

Pros

  • A dedicated workspace: Right now we’re doing the best we can with the resources we have, but the teams are scattered.
    • The high school team is currently working out of a couple of closets in the Jewelry room. Every time we meet, we spend 20 minutes unpacking our work area, then packing it back up at the end of the night. It’s not ideal.
    • The elementary and middle school teams are run out of classrooms and libraries, making material sharing and storage difficult.
    • The elementary and middle school teams are partially or fully run by high school students acting as student leaders/mentors. The unified space would allow us to mentor MORE students with the manpower we have, since we wouldn’t be spread out all over the district.
  • Increased School Desirability: Lamphere is already a great district, but having a dedicated Robotics Center will be a draw for school of choice students. There are only a handful of school districts in Michigan with a dedicated robotics area- this will make us stand out.
  • Increased Property Values: This is purely conjecture on my part, but school desirability will impact property desirability, and hence increase property values.

Cons

  • Property tax increase: Lamphere hasn’t asked for a bond since the 90’s, unlike every other school in the area, so taxes will increase. How much? Zillow values my house at $234k. In 2023, Madison Heights assessed my house at $82k, with a taxable value of $42k, the property tax calculator determined the entire bond will cost me 48 cents a day. I know money is tight and the future is uncertain, but this is an investment in the community that will pay dividends over the next decade.

Final Thoughts

The Robotics Center is only our small part of the bond proposal- you can learn more at the Official Bond Proposal page.

Again, as a parent and a volunteer- these kids work their butts off and deserve it. We do the best we can with the resources we have, but having our own space will be an absolute game changer.

Please vote Yes on the Bond Proposal.

Thank you for your consideration.

– Jesse Morgan, Mentor for FRC #6566, The Battering Rams

P.S. Here’s a video one of our students made to help convince you (Thanks Ryan!):

And here’s a clip of our 2025 robot in action (we’re #6566 in red, and our driving team is in the center position):