Lots of Awards This Year

Everyone wants to win first place in the robot competition and BEST Award. Unfortunately, only one team can win each of these honors. But don't dismay, there are other great awards that teams may win. Here is a list of some of the awards in store for you this year:

• Founders' Award for Creative Design
• Tennessee Valley Authority Most Robust Machine
• Rainsville Chamber of Commerce Best Rookie Team
• Berry & Dunn Office Equipment Best T Shirt Design
• DeKalb County Homebuilders Association Best CAD Design
• Missile Defense Agency Blood, Sweat and Duct Tape Award
• Walmart Most Photogenic Robot
• Governor's Office of Workforce Development Spirit & Sportsmanship Award
• Tennessee Valley AuthorityTop Gun Award
• Fort Payne Improvement Authority Most Economical Design
• Governor's Office of Workforce Development Best Website
• DeKalb County Homebuilders Association Best Team Theme
• DeKalb County Development Commission Spirit of BEST Award for Grit
• DeKalb County Development Commission Spirit of BEST Award for Attitude

In addition, we will award:

• 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in BEST Award
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in Robot Competition
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in Walmart Best Marketing Presentation
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative Team Exhibit & Interview
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in Missile Defense Agency Project Engineering Notebook

We encourage all teams to stay around for the awards ceremony, since each team will receive a certificate of participation, and are eligible for a number of awards.

Advancing to South's BEST

There are 274 teams competing in the 18 hubs in 6 states that comprise South's BEST. Fifty-six (56) of these teams will advance to Auburn to compete in South's BEST.

Based on the number of teams competing in Northeast Alabama BEST this year, we will send 2 teams to South's BEST, with the sequence of advancing teams being as follows:

1. First Place BEST Award
2. First Place Robot
3. Second Place BEST Award

If (as it occurred last year) a team wins first place in both the BEST Award and the robot competition, the second place BEST Award will advance to South's BEST. As it stands currently, only our First Place BEST Award team will be able to compete in BEST Award at South's BEST. The second entry will be able to compete in the Robot competition only, even if they advance as a second place BEST award winner.

South's BEST Results

What a great weekend! The 2012 BEST Robotics season is officially over with the conclusion of South's BEST last evening. We are so proud of our Northeast Alabama BEST hub teams! They represented our area with class, dignity, and style.

In the seeding rounds, Marshall Technical School finished 10th, securing a spot in the semi-finals. Fyffe High School finished a very respectable 28th (out of 57). Due to the quality of their engineering notebook, Fyffe competed in the wild card round in which the 8 teams with the best engineering notebooks (that had not already advanced to the semi-finals) competed for two spots in the semi-finals. While Fyffe was not one of the teams that advanced to the semi-finals, they should be congratulated for a strong showing in their first South's BEST competition.

The top four teams in the semi-finals advance to the finals. Unfortunately, Marshall Technical School did not finish in the top four, but did take top honors for Most Robust Robot, meaning that of all 57 teams in the competition, their robot was selected as the one that was most dependable and trouble-free.

Here is the complete listing of awards:

BEST Award

• 1^st Place:  Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Holy Cross (NOLA BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Decatur Austin Robotics Coalition (Tennessee Valley BEST)

 Robotics

• 1^st Place:  St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School (Jubilee BEST)   
•  2^nd Place: Holy Cross (NOLA BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)
• Finalist:  Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Tech. (Georgia BEST)

 Middle School Awards

• BEST Award – Seaside Neighborhood Middle School (Emerald Coast BEST)
• Robotics – St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School (Jubilee BEST)

Project Engineering Notebook

• 1^st Place:  Faith Academy (Jubilee BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Wicksburg High School (Wiregrass BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Louis P. Slade Middle School (Connecticut BEST)

Marketing Presentation

• 1^st Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)
• 2^nd Place: W.P. Davidson High School (Jubilee BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)

 Team Exhibit and Interview

• 1^st Place:  Holy Cross (NOLA BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)

 Spirit and Sportsmanship

• 1^st Place:  Wetumpka High School (War Eagle BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Merrol Hyde Magnet School (Music City BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Oak Mountain High School (Blazer BEST)

Team Exhibit Design and Construction Award

• 1^st Place:  North Cobb Christian School (Georgia BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Millsaps (Mississippi BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Central Magnet School (Music City BEST)

 Founders Award for Creative Design

• 1^st Place:  Decatur Austin Robotics Coalition (Tennessee Valley BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Allen Thornton Career Technical Center (Northwest AL BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)

 Most Elegant Robot

• 1^st Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Holy Cross (NOLA BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Central Magnet School (Music City BEST)

 Most Robust Robot

• 1^st Place:  Marshall Technical School (Northeast AL BEST) 
• 2^nd Place: Hope Academy (Central AL BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)

Most Photogenic Robot

• 1^st Place:  Louis P. Slade Middle School (Connecticut BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Allen Thornton Career Technical Center (Northwest AL BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  LeCroy STEM Academy (Blazer BEST)

Team Video

• 1^st Place:  Seaside Neighborhood Middle School (Emerald Coast BEST)
• 2^nd Place: W.P. Davidson High School (Jubilee BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Merrol Hyde Magnet School (Music City BEST)

 SolidWorks CAD Design Award

• 1^st Place:  W.P. Davidson High School (Jubilee BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Tuscaloosa Christian School (Shelton State BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Athens Bible School (Tennessee Valley BEST)

 Web page Design

• 1^st Place:  Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Tech. (Georgia BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Athens Bible School (Tennessee Valley BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Miss Porters School (Connecticut BEST)

 Game T-shirt Design

• 1^st Place:  St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School (Jubilee BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School (War Eagle BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Saint James School (War Eagle BEST)

 Best Team Mascot

• 1^st Place:  Keith Middle/High School (Selma BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Holly Pond High School (North AL BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)

 igus Top Gun Award (scored most points in a single round of competition)

• Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology (Georgia BEST)

Briggs and Stratton South’s BEST Teacher of the Year

• Susan Haddock – Austin High School (Tennessee Valley BEST)
• Virginia Vilardi – Wetumpka High School (War Eagle BEST)
• Wilma Whateley – Holly Pond High School (North AL BEST)

 Jim Westmoreland Memorial Judges Award

• Gary West (Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL)
• Dr. Bob Ashurst (Dept. Chemical Engineering, Auburn University)

 South’s BEST Volunteer of the Year

• Bryan McMeen (AFLAC)
• Vaughn Nichols  (Gulf Coast Power)

 Congratulations to all who competed at South's BEST!