Over 20 teams braved the cold weather and icy roads to compete in the Frontier Trails BEST Regional Robotics Competition held Dec. 6-7 at the Fort Smith Convention Center, in which Wichita Homeschool of Wichita, Kan., took top honors.

 

The school placed first in both the BEST Award and the Robot Competition, marking the third straight year Wichita Homeschool has won the BEST Award and the second consecutive year they have taken top honors in both categories.

 

John Martini of Fort Smith, assistant professor of electronics technology at UAFS and director of Frontier Trails BEST, said he was impressed by how well the teams competed in the competition, which is sponsored by the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith.

 

“This is my last season as director of BEST Robotics, and I have been very honored to be a part of these competitions over the years,” he said. “From our perspective, all the competitors are winners and should all be proud of their teams.”

 

The win this year continues Wichita Homeschool’s dominance in the competition over the last decade -- since 2005, the team has placed first in either the BEST Award or Robot Competition categories every time, and has placed first in both awards six times.

 

Second through fourth place in the BEST Award category went to Metro Homeschool of Blue Springs, Mo., Circle High School of Towanda, Kan., and Perry High School of Perry, Okla., respectively.

 

Metro Homeschool also placed second in the Robot Competition, followed by Panther Creek Academy of Olathe, Kan., and Ambassadors for Christ Academy of Bentonville.

 

BEST, which stands for “Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology,” is a non-profit volunteer-based organization. BEST 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.

 

UAFS has participated in the robotics competition since 2003, and UAFS Chancellor Dr. Paul Beran has been directly involved in the event since his hiring in 2006.

 

Other award-winners were:

 

Best Project Engineering Notebook: Circle High School

 

Best Marketing Presentation: Wichita Homeschool

 

Best Team Exhibit: Circle High School

 

Best Spirit and Sportsmanship: OKC Homeschool, Oklahoma City, Okla.

 

Founders Award:

 

First Place: Metro Homeschool.

 

Second Place: Wichita Homeschool

 

Third Place: Ambassadors for Christ Academy

 

Most Robust:

 

First Place: OKC Homeschool

 

Second Place: Rose Hill High School, Rose Hill, Kan.

 

Third Place: Metro Homeschool

 

Most Elegant:

 

First Place: Manteno High School, Manteno, Ill.

 

Second Place: STEM Academy Middle School, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

 

Third Place: Fort Smith Homeschool, Fort Smith

 

Most Photogenic:

 

First Place: Denver East High School, Denver, Colo.

 

Second Place: Tulsa Engineering Academy at Memorial, Tulsa, Okla.

 

Third Place: St. Mary’s Academy, Englewood, Colo.

 

T-Shirt Award:

 

First Place: Perry High School

 

Second Place: Manning Middle School, Golden, Colo.

 

Third Place: Denver East High School

 

Web Page Award:

 

First Place: Manteno High School

 

Second Place: Christian Schools of Springfield, Springfield, Mo.

 

Third Place: Metro Homeschool