Marshall Technical School is Registered

Marshall Technical School has registered for 2015 BEST Robotics! We are pleased to have this tough team competing in Northeast Alabama BEST again this year.

#bladernnr South's BEST Results

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics teams performed admirably at South's BEST in Auburn, winning the following awards:

• Middle School BEST Award - Brindlee Mountain Middle School (highest scoring middle school in BEST awards rankings)
• Hyundai Team Exhibit Design and Construction Award - Marshall Technical School
• 2nd Place Most Robust Robot - Brindlee Mountain Middle School

In the robot competition, Marshall Technical School scored 1116 points to come in at 21st place (of 56 teams). Brindlee Mountain Middle School scored 1115 points and took 22nd place.

We are so proud of our Northeast Alabama BEST teams and look forward to being amazed at what these young people can do next year.

"BEST poured concrete over my decision to be an engineer."

A quote from a student from Marshall Technical School is included in a collection of quotes from BEST students on the BEST Robotics, Inc. website. The quote, shown in a screen capture below, was one of several from students from across the country. To view the entire list, visit the BEST website at http://www.bestinc.org/b_quotes.php

# G8KPR Northeast Alabama Teams Excel at South's BEST

The two teams representing Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics performed exceptionally well at South's BEST, held in Auburn last weekend.

Fyffe High School, which advanced to South's BEST as the second place BEST Award team at Northeast Alabama BEST, took second place in Project Engineering Notebook and first place in Founders' Award for Creative Design. They finished a very respectable 17th in the robot competition.

Marshall Technical School, which took first place in robot and BEST Award at Northeast Alabama BEST, won third place in Team Exhibit and finished fifth in the robot competition.

Fifty-six teams from 18 hubs in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and Florida competed.

Photo courtesy of Brian Gann

The staff of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics could not be more proud of these teams, which represented us so well at South's BEST.

#G8KPR Watch South's BEST Live Stream

South's BEST takes place Saturday and Sunday. Those who can't make it to Auburn may watch a live stream online at http://www.southsbest.org/site/.

A schedule for the weekend is available at http://www.southsbest.org/site/files/ChampionshipSchedule.pdf

If you can't be there to cheer on our Northeast Alabama Teams, be sure to cheer them on through social media by using the hashtag: #G8KPR and on Twitter, mention @northeastalbest and @bestrobotics.

Fyffe High School and Marshall Technical School will represent Northeast Alabama BEST at South's BEST.

#G8KPR More of Marshall Tech School in the News

The Sand Mountain reporter recently published another article about the Marshall Technical School's win at Northeast Alabama BEST. Though the article is subscription only, you can see the first part of it here: http://www.sandmountainreporter.com/news/local/article_38fba3bc-48c5-11e3-9d85-001a4bcf887a.html

#G8KPR Marshall Technical School Featured in Local Paper

The Marshall Technical School Robotics Team was recently featured in the Sand Mountain Reporter. The story is linked here, although subscription requirements prevent you from reading the entire article.

South's BEST is December 7-8 in Auburn #G8KPR

South's BEST will take place December 7-8, 2013 in the Auburn Arena at Auburn University. Fifty-six teams from 18 hubs in 6 states will compete. Our own Marshall Technical School and Fyffe High School will compete in the BEST award competition, representing our hub.

Members of teams that are not advancing to South's BEST are encouraged to attend to get ideas for next year and to cheer on our Northeast Alabama BEST teams. Remember that knowledge is power, so that which you learn at South's BEST might be just the advantage you need to be part of South's BEST next year. Please visit the South's BEST website for details and contact Nicole Carroll should you need any information about attending as a spectator.

South's BEST is one of four regional competitions strategically located across the U.S. Due to travel expense, there is not a national competition; the regional competition is the pinnacle of BEST Robotics at this time.

2013 South's BEST Dates Announced

Auburn University and BEST Robotics, Inc. has announced the 2013 dates for South's BEST. The two-day championship event will be held at the Auburn Arena on December 7-8, 2013. Winners from each of the hubs east of the Mississippi will compete.

Last year, teams from Fyffe High School and Marshall Technical School represented Northeast Alabama BEST.

Will your team be there in 2013?

Marshall Technical School is Registered!

We are excited that Marshall Technical School has registered to be a part of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics in 2013. As you may recall, Marshall Tech came into the competition last year as the only team with experience in BEST Robotics. And as you may well know, there is no substitution for experience. Marshall Technical School performed admirably in 2012 winning first place in robot and in the BEST Award. They also represented us well in South's BEST.

But the slate is wiped clean.

2013 means a new year and a new game. We are looking forward to working with Marshall Technical School again this year and fully expect them to be "in the game".

Fyffe High School Registered for 2013!

We are pleased that Fyffe High School has registered for Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics 2013 - Gatekeeper. Remember that Fyffe placed second last year in the BEST Award and, along with Marshall Technical School, represented Northeast Alabama BEST at South's BEST in Auburn. We are excited to have Fyffe on board for 2013!

South's BEST Photos Posted

Photos from South's BEST have been posted to Northeast Alabama BEST's Flickr site. We have also added a Flickr slide show to our Photos page.

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!

Fyffe and Marshall Tech Teams Prep for South's BEST

Winning teams from the Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics hub are making last minute preparations for South's BEST, to be held in Auburn December 1-2.

After winning first place in BEST Award and Robot Competition, Marshall Technical School will compete for the BEST Award at South's BEST. They have been busy making final adjustments to their robot as well as practicing their marketing presentation and honing robot driving skills.

Fyffe High School will compete in South's BEST for the first time. As second place BEST Award winner at Northeast Alabama BEST, Fyffe will compete in the BEST Award at South's BEST. They too are making last minute adjustments to their robot and are fine tuning their marketing presentation.

We wish both teams the BEST as they travel to Auburn this weekend for South's BEST!