Providing STEM Education to the Dawson-Boyd Community Since 2016
Hello editors!  I have left a few messages around this website to help guide new editors on what should be edited on this website, but I figured a larger message may be helpful as well.


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Things to edit yearly:
  • Sponsorship page
    • Delete sponsors from previous year (excluding Lets Roam until 04/06/2025) and replace them as sponsorships are attained.  The list is organized by donation size and then alphabetically.  The size of the font should represent the size of the donation/sponsorship tier.  There is not very many variances in size of fonts on Weebly, but just do your best.  
    • When sponsorships open, attach the contract to the page.  There is a place for editors to do this on the sponsorship page, just take it out of the hidden box.
    • The estimated budget should be updated every year on this page as well
  • Our Robot page
    • I would recommend saving the pages from previous years from now on and just hiding them from the navigation tabs.  To do this, go to the "pages" button on the top of your screen and click the eye icon.  This page will still be searchable, but that is fine.  I think it would be interesting to be able to look back on previous robots.  Change the title of the old Our Robot page to include the season (2023) and link it to the team history page.
    • Create a new Our Robot page for this year with information as it comes in.  This may mean having the old page up until the new robot is functional.
      • Include sections about the drive train, scoring mechanics, autonomous, endgame, and statistics (if available).  
      • Include pictures that show the robot's multiple capabilities.
  • Team History page
    • Edit the past robots section to include this year's robot.  
      • Remember to link the old our robot page.
      • Moving around the robots is difficult and sometimes confusing, but it is easier when everything is grouped together.  Do not over-complicate it.  
    • Update the competition table to fit that year. 
      • Include awards, finishing places, and alliance information
    • Update the "Regional History" paragraph.  
      • This paragraph can be edited any way an editor would like, but I don't think it should be deleted because there should be some lead-in for the chart below it.
    • Include the yearly logo in the gallery at the bottom of the page
  • Every page
    • Every page should have updated, recent, quality pictures.  Look on Google Drive for photos.  This task is easiest when it is kept on top of.  Do not keep pushing it back.


The Achievements Page
The Achievements page should be edited whenever an award is won (no matter how small), the team is on an alliance, or the team qualifies for the State Tournament or the Worldwide FIRST® Championship.  Try to include a paragraph of information and a picture.  Each achievement is separated by sections of alternating colors.  Keep up the pattern.


Colors and Theming
Most colors on the website are pre-set by the website's theme.  However, if text is hard to read, it is sometimes changed to black instead of gray.  This is on a case-by-case basis, but should stay consistent throughout pages.  If other text on a page is black, determine if the text you are editing should be black as well using your best judgement.
Gold is sometimes used as an accent color.  The code for the specific shade of yellow is dab844.  Keep this color consistent throughout the whole website.  


Content
It is important to remember that this website is both for the general public and other robotics teams.  Editors should include background information when discussing anything on the website.  Assume that the viewer does not know what you are talking about.  It is better to over-explain than leave viewers confused.  

Also, be sure to use inclusive language.  Remember that anyone can be on the robotics team.  Just because a particular group is not currently on the team does not mean they have not been or will not be.  Terms like "builder boys" should be made "builders".  Never use gendered language either.  Use gender-neutral language ("they" instead of "he or she"). 
Never talk about holidays from a specific religion.  "Christmas" becomes "the holidays".  "Easter" becomes "springtime".  Even if you believe that a religious holiday has become "secularized" enough, refrain from using it.  Never celebrate Columbus Day, instead celebrate Indigenous People's Day, as Columbus Day is often seen as anti-Native American. 

​Make sure that no language is offensive to a particular group.  If you are wondering if a word is offensive or not do not use it.  Slurs are an obvious no-no, but words like "crazy" and "insane" have also been used to stigmatize those with mental health disorders in the past and should not be used.  Terms like "Disabled" and "Black" should be capitalized, while "able-bodied" and "white" are lowercase.  Look up to see if a minority people group should be capitalized and if the group prefers person-first or identity-first language.  Make sure that everything you put on the website (or social media) is both politically correct and reflects the general opinions of the team.  

Some teams have statistics of diversity on their websites.  This makes gender, racial, and other diversity feel forced and performative.  Never include information about team stats in regard to gender, race, ability, or other factors.  Even if an editor is aiming to paint the team in a good light, it creates an environment where people not typically welcomed in STEM are applauded for their "minority-ness" instead of their achievements and accomplishments on the team.  Inclusion is a core value of FIRST® and it is important in every robotics team, but it is better to show instead of tell in situations like this.  Do not over-show, however.  Not every picture has to showcase the team's inclusion, make sure the website shows the team for what it really is.

Remember that the robotics team is more than just building a robot.  Students program, fundraise, market, scout, create social media posts and art, wire, sew bumpers, problem-solve, design, and so much more.  Try to include pictures of students doing different activities on the team and showcase everything the team does.  Also remember that the team is not just made up of its most involved members.  Try to showcase everyone on the website as well as social media.
Never reveal a student's last name--even if the student says that it is okay.  First name basis is just fine.  Make sure that students and mentors okay pictures that are being posted of them on social media or used in the website.  Everyone has a right to privacy and that includes their name, picture, and information.  Anyone can choose to keep anything to themselves.

When adding pictures to the website try to add alt text with them when possible.  Describe the picture in 1-3 sentences.

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Style​
Always refer to the robotics team as a "team".  Terms like "club" and "group" are not necessarily wrong, but take away from the communal aspect "team" emphasizes.  "Dawson-Boyd Robotics Team" or "Dawson-Boyd Robotics" should be the only ways the team name is fully capitalized.  Variants should be capitalized as: "Dawson-Boyd team", "robotics team", or similarly.  "Blackjacks is also always capitalized.  Variants of "Blackjacks" should be capitalize as: "Blackjacks Robotics Team", "Blackjacks Robotics", "Blackjacks team", "Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks Robotics", "Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks Robotics Team", or similarly.  Basically, "Dawson-Boyd" and "Blackjacks" is always capitalized, "team" is only capitalized when used with "Dawson-Boyd" or "Blackjacks" and "robotics", and "robotics" is only capitalized when used with "Dawson-Boyd or "Blackjacks".  "Blackjacks" is always plural, unless talking about one specific person who is then a "Blackjack".  Otherwise, in all iterations of the word "Blackjacks" it is plural.  "Blackjacks" is always plural in the team name.  "Blackjacks" can be shortened to "Jacks" at which point capitalization rules are the same as if it were "Blackjacks".  "Dawson-Boyd" similarly can be shortened to "DB" (which is preferred), "D-B", "D/B" in which case capitalization rule apply as if the abbreviation were still "Dawson-Boyd".  "6146" acts as a capitalized word like "Blackjacks" or "Dawson-Boyd" and capitalization rules apply. "Dawson-Boyd 6146 Blackjacks Robotics Team", "6146 Blackjacks Robotics Team", "Dawson-Boyd 6146 Robotics Team", "6146 Robotics Team", "6146 team", "6146 Robotics", etc.
Always remember to include Boyd when including Dawson and not to exclude the Dawson-Boyd area when talking about the community our team serves.  We have students and sponsors from outside the cities of Dawson and Boyd and interact with community members from other towns.  

”FIRST®" should be the only way FIRST® is ever written on the website as this follows the FIRST® Style Guide.  As a general rule, always follow the FIRST® Style Guide.  This may be difficult to achieve, but every effort should be made to keep this consistently used throughout the website.  According the the style guide, FIRST® should never be bolded (unless part of a longer bolded phrase) or used as a possessive (ex: "FIRST® 's mission" becomes "the mission of FIRST® ").
"Gracious Professionalism®" and "Coopertition®" should also be italicized and contain the registered symbol.  The style guide does not touch on these topics, and the FIRST® website is inconsistent, but this seems to be the correct way to format these words.  Note that "gracious professionals" is not italicized, registered, or a proper noun, while the previous terms all are.

Paragraphs on this website are not indented and instead seperated by hitting "enter" or a "double enter".  Keep the paragraph seperation style consistent per section.


General Editing Tips
Editing the website is easiest when it happens in small chunks.  When the website is left behind, tasks pile up and it can feel overwhelming to begin editing it again.  When I gained access to the website, little had been edited since the website was first created.  Do not be afraid to delete pictures or change the website, it is important that it reflects the wants and desires of the current robotics team.  However, cosmetic and content updates go hand in hand, do not opt out of one to focus on the other.  Feel free to make small edits when you have time in study halls or at the end of robotics meetings.  

It gets easier with practice.  The more you edit, the more the tools and methods of editing make sense.  Weebly can be confusing, but as you go you will catch on.

If you see a mistake, fix it!  It does not matter who created the error, if you see a mistake or grammar error, you should fix it as soon as possible.  Spelling, grammar, and factual errors make the team look unprofessional, so staying vigilant for typos helps keep the website the best it can be.

If you are confused about what to add to the website or what a page should look like, look at other teams' websites.  Take what you like.  Do not copy them, but use the elements of their website that stick out to you.  It is important that our website represents us, so make it your own, but feel free to get inspiration from other teams.

Make sure edits also look good on mobile devices.  Hidden boxes can be great for creating edits that only appear on certain screens.  At competition, most people that visit our website will be doing so on mobile phones.

I would also recommend adding your personal email as an editor.  This makes it easier to log in the edit the website from any device because you can create your own password and remember your own email.  This also creates a sort-of paper trail for who has access.


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I hope that this information is helpful when starting to edit the website.  Have fun and be creative.  Make this website your own!  
-Jordon Perkins
(Class of 2023 Alumni)
What is Dawson-Boyd Robotics?
Dawson-Boyd Robotics is a high-school extracurricular activity for students in 7-12th grade that builds an entirely new robot every year according to the guidelines of FIRST®. FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international youth organization that holds several competitions, including FIRST® Robotics Competition regional competitions that the team participates in. In today’s technology-driven world, it’s essential to prepare students for the future. By having to build and control a physical robot, students learn what robots are capable of. They also learn the need for precise instructions. Robotics helps address the growing demand for teaching science, technology, engineering and math in schools. By teaching our students the basics of robotics, we can open a whole new world to them and exciting opportunities that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.​

​Mission Statement
Our mission is to teach and propel students into the STEM fields, the team works in financial, programming, and engineering projects that come together in the yearly competitive construction of a robot.
​Benefits of Participating in the Robotics Team:
  • Practice math/science in the real world (engineering)
  • Hands on building, and trouble shooting
  • Learn coding and use it for real-life projects
  • Gain computer knowledge
  • Opportunity to travel and stay over night
  • Meet other students with similar interests (at competition)
  • Learn about operating a business - budgeting, fundraising, planning, and marketing
  • Opportunities for hands-on/tactile learning
Students Build Skills in:
  • Teamwork
  • Problem solving
  • Public speaking
  • Interpersonal communication
  • Working with technology
  • Working with tools
  • Time management
​More Information: