Outreach
2011 South’s BEST Robotics Championship—A Story of Hope
In December, Auburn University hosted the 2011 South’s
BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) Robotics
Championship at the Auburn Arena. This middle and high school,
work-force development robotics competition engages students in
engineering, science and technology, with the goal of inspiring them
to pursue careers in these fields.
Through participation in this project-based program, students
are required to design, build, and market a robot that can perform
required tasks on a specified playing field. Regional robotics
competitions allowed the most exceptional teams to advance to
South’s BEST, where 50 middle and high school teams from
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and
Tennessee competed against one another for top awards.
Included in this year’s competition was first-time participant
Hope Academy with their robot, The Green Machine. Located on the
88-acre campus of the Presbyterian Home for Children in Talladega,
Ala., Hope Academy is a SACS-accredited school for grades one
through twelve. Although the school opened in 1997, the Presbyterian
Home for Children has provided services to kids in need since 1868.
Originally founded as an orphanage, today it provides a wider range
of services for children and their families, including the school.
About half of the students who attend Hope Academy are
referred there by the State of Alabama through the Department of
Human Resources. These students are often victims of neglect, abuse,
incarcerated parents, deceased parents, or a disruptive home setting.
Some students are privately placed by families who recognize the need
for outside h [