Mentor guide — Ridge Racers NJ¶
Team: Ridge Racers NJ (E16) · Class: STEM Racing USA Development
Program of: Apex STEM Education
This is the main onboarding path for new mentors. Work top to bottom once, then bookmark sections you use every week.
Quick checklist · Equipment & supplies · Results & examples · ← Start here
How mentors help (one rule)¶
Students own design, build, portfolio content, and presentation words.
Adults own logistics, calendars, print deadlines, safety, rehearsal holds, and “who has the binder.”
Full split: travel prep runbook
High-school volunteers (Junior Mentor Program)¶
If a WHRHS student helps your sessions, you (or another adult 18+) is the Session Supervisor every time. Typical staffing: you + 1 HS helper — not two adults every week. HS volunteers never count as supervisors. Rules: open group, no private 1:1, no shop/tools solo, backup adult on call. Full plan: Junior Mentor Program.
Step 1 — Access & boundaries (day 1, ~30 min)¶
- Sign in at docs.apexstem.org using your invited account.
- Read this page and onboarding checklist.
- Review team roles (names only).
- Skim official guide alignment — Development class limits and portal training order.
- Do not ask for sponsor CRM, raw board minutes, or student emails from git — those stay in private Sheets/Drive.
Step 2 — Freedcamp & project timeline (day 1–2, ~1 hour)¶
Freedcamp is where tasks and due dates live. This wiki explains how; Freedcamp is what’s due.
| Action | Link |
|---|---|
| Get project URL from team lead | integrations → Live links |
| Import season tasks | Timeline CSV (Enhanced) |
| How to import | Freedcamp for mentors · GitHub instructions |
| Meeting prep each week | Meeting checklist template · printable |
After import: Confirm task lists exist per student (Brandon, Brian, Jonas, etc.) and weekly check-ins are on the calendar.
Step 3 — Official rules & training (week 1, ~2 hours)¶
Everyone should read competitive and technical rules — not only engineers.
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Competition classes (Development) | https://www.stemracing.us/competition-classes |
| Rules & regulations (current season PDFs) | https://portal.stemracing.us/rules |
| Virtual training guide (ordered units) | https://portal.stemracing.us/virtual-training-guide |
| Acing your interviews | https://portal.stemracing.us/virtual-training/acing-your-interviews |
| Road to competition | https://portal.stemracing.us/virtual-training/the-road-to-competition |
Wiki index: STEM Racing links
Step 4 — Scores, debriefs & improvement plan (week 1, ~1 hour)¶
Understand where the team was strong and what judges asked for before you coach students.
| Document | What you learn |
|---|---|
| Results & examples | Regionals score table, Nationals outcomes, award context |
| Improvement plan by role | Assigned tasks per student |
| Student technical debrief | Pit display, verbal practice, interview props |
| Parent/org debrief | Logistics, money buckets, rehearsal calendar |
| Question bank | Practice questions for students |
Regional headline: Racing 105/110 was strongest; Specifications 0/100 and Design portfolio 36/180 were critical gaps going into Nationals.
Step 5 — Previous work & portfolios (week 1-2)¶
In this repo (text & scripts)¶
| Asset | Link |
|---|---|
| Verbal presentation script | Verbal_Presentation_Script_Full.md |
| Per-student interview prep | Nationals_Interview_Prep/ |
| Public team story | ridgeracersnj.com |
In team Drive (ask team lead for link)¶
Large files are not in git (videos, full portfolios, graded PDFs). Typical REGIONALS/ layout the team uses:
| Folder / file | Contents |
|---|---|
Drawings/ |
Renders, BOM, CAD exports |
E16_*_Engineering.pptx or .pdf |
Engineering portfolio |
E16_*_Pit_Display.pdf |
Pit display graphics |
*.mp4 |
Team and 60s video |
| Graded score PDFs | Regionals/Nationals judge feedback (if saved) |
Action: Team lead adds Drive → Ridge Racers → REGIONALS link to integrations.
Step 6 — Your first team meeting (week 2)¶
Use meeting checklist:
- Send agenda 24h ahead.
- Review Freedcamp open tasks per role.
- Surface blockers on Specs, portfolio, enterprise (historically weak areas).
- Assign owners and due dates in Freedcamp (students own deliverables).
- Log actions — not student emails — in Freedcamp/Drive.
Team lead runs roster logistics; you coach technical quality and student-led boundaries.
Step 7 — Engineering & design mentoring¶
| Topic | Mentor focus |
|---|---|
| Specifications | Every claim measurable; inspectors verify easily |
| Drawings | One page per component; complete views |
| Manufacturing | Safety, repeatability, finish quality (scrutineering) |
| Testing | Numbers tied to design decisions on portfolio pages |
| 3D-printed Development car | Legality before exotic aero |
Point students to their section in the improvement plan.
Manufacturing: Brian · Design: Jonas · Graphics: Sophia & Noah · Enterprise: Max · Sponsors: Caleb · Manager: Brandon
Step 8 — Competition prep runbooks¶
| When | Runbook |
|---|---|
| 6+ weeks before travel | Pit display hardware deadline (adult-owned) |
| 4 weeks out | Interview kit + interview runbook |
| 2 weeks out | ≥6 full timed verbal run-throughs (calendar holds) |
| Pack week | Packing · full packing list |
| Travel | Travel prep |
Step 9 — Who to contact¶
| Need | Contact |
|---|---|
| Tasks, meetings, Freedcamp | Team lead (Brandon) — team lead onboarding |
| Fees, receipts, donations | Treasurer — treasurer@apexstem.org · treasurer onboarding |
| Access invite issues | Secretary / technical admin — Access setup |
| Sponsors (Title tier) | Board + Caleb |
| Org governance | Board onboarding |
Step 10 — Monthly mentor rhythm¶
| Cadence | Do |
|---|---|
| Weekly | One meeting with checklist; Freedcamp review |
| Monthly | Confirm students still own deliverables; no “adult rewrite” of portfolios overnight |
| Each season phase | Re-read season calendar |
| After competition | Debrief → update runbooks within 30 days |
Quick links¶
| Page | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Team hub | All Nationals docs |
| Guides catalog | Full SOP index |
| Equipment & supplies | Pit tools, car spares, apparel |
| Results & examples | Score tables & outcomes |
| Integrations | Freedcamp, Drive, Dropbox |