Robotics Team Dares to Dream

A top three finish at a state competition is propelling a group of students from Salina South High School to a multi-state competition.

Over the weekend the Salina South High School Robotics Team competed at Wichita State University in the BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. The farming themed competition, required teams pick tomatoes (whiffle balls), lettuce (sponges), corn (paint rollers), plant seeds (golf balls) and turn a water valve for various points.

After the initial 47 rounds of competition between the 30 teams, Salina South was in 5th place and advanced to the semi-final rounds with 7 other teams.  In the semi-finals the Cougars earned a 4th place finish and advanced to the finals, where they came away with a 3rd place finish.

The top 6 teams from the Kansas BEST Hub along with the top teams from 7 other hubs from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Colorado advance to the Frontier Trails BEST Championship Competition which takes place on the first Friday and Saturday in December at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

The BEST programs seeks to engage students in engineering-related activities situated in real-world working environments, hoping to inspire them to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)-related fields.

 

A Fun selfie with the coaches - after the team realized they were in the semi-finals. (courtesy photo)

A Fun selfie with the coaches – after the team realized they were in the semi-finals. (courtesy photo)