Holly Pond Robotics team seeks BEST

By David Lazenby

HOLLY POND — While the Holly Pond football team drilled in preparation for its upcoming game Wednesday afternoon, another Bronco team was preparing for a competition of its own.

The school robotics team spent last week gearing up for a contest held Saturday at Calhoun Community College in Decatur. The team finished eighth out of 18 schools.

“It’s just like a football, basketball or volleyball competition — only it’s with robots,” said school guidance counselor Karen Rowell, who got the team started. “This was an improvement from last year” she said about an event held at Auburn University in which the team placed 11th out of 16 schools. “These were robots competing for points instead of humans — which is actually what’s going on in the world today.”

Rowell got involved in robotics training about four years ago when she recognized that robots would one day play a future in the local economy. She said her endeavor is an effort to help students prepare for their entry into the workforce.

“Me being a counselor, it’s my job to help our kids earn a living,” Rowell said. “So I looked at our community and realized there’s business industry coming in with a lot of equipment that is robotics (related).

“In the workforce of tomorrow, these kids need to be trained in electronics, math, science, computers and technology,” she said.

To get started, Rowell wrote a grant proposal to begin a summer enrichment program. Through that program, Rowell got involved in First Lego League, an international robotics program in which students solve real-world engineering challenges.

“The kids really loved it and they wanted more,” she said.

Rowell said last year was the first year the school was involved in BEST, a non-profit organization that promotes team problem solving aided by local industry.

BEST stands for Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology.

Before getting started for this year’s contest, each school was provided a bevy of supplies for their machine’s construction.

“From this kit we have six weeks to build a moving vehicle,” said Rowell, adding that an annual theme determines what functions that machine must possess.

The theme this year centered around space missions to Mars. The robotics team built an automated supply vehicle similar to a machine that might be used for exploration of the Red Planet.

“The ASV has to do what a space mission would do if it was the actual thing,” Rowell said.

In addition to building the robot, students had to create a project engineering notebook judged as part of the competition. Also judged Saturday was a table display and students’ performance in an oral presentation to be given by three Holly Pond students.

The team received help from Wallace State Community College’s machine shop that helped build the ASVs wheel hubs. Also, the club received funding from V.F. Jeanswear.

Now that the event is finished, Rowell said she plans to treat the team to a visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.

“That’s their fun event for all the hard work they’ve put into this,” she said, adding it will also be “a good learning experience.”

The team also plans to soon start preparing for next year, Rowell said.

“We’re building a strategy,” Rowell said, adding that next year the team may participate in FIRST, another robotics competition. FIRST stands for First in Robotics Science and Training.

Team member Jared Blackmon said the team’s work for this year’s event was an exercise in trial and error. Team CEO Megan Goodson agreed. “We completely drew another robot and we had to redo it because we figured out it wouldn’t work,” she said.

Rowell said school enrichment programs like the robotics team inspires students academically.

“Kids are more motivated to learn when they actually get to get in there and get involved,” she said.

This year’s event may have motivated other Holly Pond students to join the team. Rowell said two students this week expressed an interest in getting on board for next year’s project.

“We’re building,” Rowell said.