Four area schools advanced to South’s BEST Regional Championship at Auburn University and competed this past weekend
AUBURN – The 2022 Northwest Alabama BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) Robotics top teams, Brooks High School, Creekside Academy, Phillips High School, and Trinitas Classical Academy, competed Saturday (12/3) and Sunday (12/4) in the South’s BEST Regional Championship at Auburn University winning three awards.
The South’s BEST Regional Championship brought the top 42 teams from schools across the southeast. Northwest Alabama BEST teams received the following awards and achievements:
- Best Spirit and Sportsmanship, 1st Place – Brooks High School
- Most Elegant Robot (the robot that most efficiently performs the task it was designed for), 2nd Place – Trinitas Classical Academy
- Best Marketing Presentation, 3rd Place – Brooks High School
Other notable achievements:
- BEST Award Overall, Ranked 6th – Brooks High School
- Robot Performance, Ranked 11th – Trinitas Classical Academy
Northwest Alabama BEST Robotics Co-Hub Director Kim Sheppard was awarded the Springer Spirit of BEST Volunteer of the Year. “I was so honored to receive the volunteer of the year award,” said Sheppard. “Being able to provide this opportunity for our area students is something I am really passionate about because it provides such an amazing experience for them. BEST Robotics is a very demanding and challenging competition. However, it develops much needed skills in our students regardless of their future goals. Not only does BEST Robotics expose them to STEM topics, it provides training in leadership and other soft-skills, and so much more! Being a math instructor at Northwest-Shoals, I see every day the impact STEM fields can have on our students.”
The Northwest Alabama BEST Robotics season will begin registering teams in the spring with a kick-off in the fall. The season culminates with the game day competition in October. The top four winning teams then advance to the South’s BEST Regional Championship in December.
BEST Robotics is open to all students in 6th – 12th grades. It is free for schools to participate. Teachers who sponsor a competing team at the Northwest Alabama hub may receive teacher stipends and qualify for TEAMS professional learning credits through Power School. Northwest Alabama BEST Robotics is a workforce development partnership between the Shoals Chamber of Commerce and Northwest-Shoals Community College.
Media Release/Trent Randolph
Director of Public Relations and Marketing
Northwest-Shoals Community College
