Start A Team/Club

Creating a strong New York FPS program at your school doesn’t happen by accident, but it also doesn’t have to be a mystery! We are here to support you as you begin your journey as an advisor or student leader. We have tools to help you build a successful team or club at your school from the ground up.

This resource page will help new advisors or student leaders establish your New York FPS team, connect you to those with answers to most of your questions, help you recruit new members, and facilitate member involvement. Starting a new FPS team or club can be a smooth process both inside and outside of the classroom.

Select your role below to view resources.

New Advisor

You are an educator seeking to inspire the new generation.

Student Leader

You are a high school student ready to take on a leadership role.

Team/Club Formation Checklist

STEP ONE: Confirm your school and students meet NYFPS qualifications.

Students must be enrolled in grades 4-12.
Students attend a New York school or is a New York State based resident during the school year. Students living outside New York or attend school in a different state should register with the FPS affiliate program in that state. You can find other affiliate programs here.
Your team/club must have an advisor (typically a teacher or school administrator) recognized by the school.

STEP TWO: Obtain your team/club obtains school's approval.

Once you've confirmed you meet NYFPS' qualifications, ensure you have secured the official support of your school's appropriate leadership group or administrator.
For elementary and middle schools, this is your school administration and management team.
For high schools, this may include official recognition by both the student union and school administration.

STEP THREE: Officially request to register your teams to NYFPS.

Once you've received all the approvals from the appropriate parties as your school, you may start the official process by completing the registration request form here.
Be sure to provide all the requested information on the form as well as any relevant details you believe will be helpful for NYFPS to work with you.
Once your official registration request is received, you will be contacted by our Executive Director with details on registration fees and competition information.

STEP FOUR: Get approval and officially submit your team members.

Once you have been contacted, complete all required forms and submit an official list of participating students.
Submit registration fees to NYFPS. If your registration fees are not submitted, your students are not official NYFPS participants and will not be able to compete in the program for that school year.

STEP FIVE: Explore the resources available to you.