Battle Of The Robots Saturday
November 1, 2013
Student-constructed robots will face off to be best of the BEST as young scientists compete against each other Saturday at the University of West Florida Field House.
The sixth annual Emerald Coast BEST Robotics middle and high school competition is sponsored by Gulf Power Company. The event will pit teams from 13 Northwest Florida schools — including Tate and West Florida high schools – in head-to-head competition to teach teamwork, problem-solving, project management and pride in task completion.
BEST Robotics Inc. is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization whose mission is to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, and technology through participation in a sports-like, science and engineering-based robotics competition.
“Gulf Power supports the annual competition because it provides local students the opportunity to learn practical engineering, science and math skills, which are critical for their future,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power spokesperson.
Gulf Power has recently ramped up efforts to help increase the availability of skilled technicians in Northwest Florida by helping to form the Northwest Florida Manufacturers Council earlier this year. The council will help local manufacturing companies work together to compete in a global marketplace with a special emphasis on having a skilled workforce.
“Events like the BEST Robotics competition also help promote interest in high-quality manufacturing careers down the line for these students,” said Rogers.
Each student team has six weeks to design and build a remote-controlled robot to solve a problem or perform a specific function. The year’s theme, Gatekeeper 2013, refers to a conceived challenge of constructing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to upgrade BEST robot, Squeaky, to Squeaky 2.0. The goal for the students is to design a prototype robot to construct a CPU over the course of three fabrication stages.
Each team is judged on its robot performance, marketing presentation, team exhibit, technical notebook and spirit and sportsmanship. The 13 schools from across Northwest Florida will participate in the University of West Florida Emerald Coast BEST hub with the top schools advancing to regional competition at Auburn University.
Area schools have been competing in BEST since 2004, when Gulf Power sponsored eight local teams to compete in the BEST hub in Mobile, Ala. The funding of hub operations depends entirely on corporate and individual sponsorships. Materials kits to build the robots are provided to the teams by the hub. No fees are paid by students or schools participating in BEST robotics.
2013 Teams:
- Arnold High School
- Avalon Middle School
- Bethlehem School
- Jinks Middle School
- Milton High School
- Newpoint Pensacola High
- Pine Forest High School
- Seaside Neighborhood
- Sims Middle School
- Tate High School
- West Florida High School
- Woodham Middle School
- Woodlawn Beach Middle School
Pictured: Previous robotics competitions at the University of West Florida. File photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Names Malone, Heintz As October Students Of The Month
October 31, 2013
Tate High School has named their October Students of the Month. They are Haley Malone and Noah Heintz. Pictured above are Tate Principal Richard Shackle, Haley Malone, Noah Heintz, and Assistant Principal Laurie Bedford. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bratt Student Awarded In Symphony’s ‘Express Yourself’ Art Contest
October 30, 2013
A Bratt Elementary school fifth grader was a winner in a recent “Express Yourself” art contest held in conjunction with the Pensacola Symphony.
Amber Gilman placed third among fifth grade students in Escambia County and received a gift basket and a $100 prize card from Pen Air Federal Credit Union. This was the third consecutive year that a Bratt student has placed in the contest.
Before attending a field trip to the Pensacola Symphony with music teacher Emily Pollard, fifth graders at Bratt listened to a piece entitled “Firebird: Kastcheir Dance” by Stravinsky. As they listened, the students created pieces of art that fit the mood of the music and the story line while they were in class with art teacher Meredeth Roberts.
On the field trip, students were able to see the winning art creations on display as they listened to the symphony performance.
Pictured: Megan Burke, Pensacola Symphony, Amber Gilman, and Meredith Roberts, Bratt Elementary art teacher. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Care Goes Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness
October 30, 2013
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the staff and Century Care Center wore pink. One of many CCC survivors, Angela Jackson, gave a short speech to residents and staff about the importance of early detection. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Professional Firefighters To Host ‘Fire And Ice Gala’
October 29, 2013
The Escambia County Professional Firefighters will host the Fire and Ice Gala this Saturday in Pensacola.
Dinner will be served, and there will be a silent auction and door prizes. Guest speaker will be Jim Tolley, president of the Florida Professional Firefighters.
Proceeds from the event benefit the firefighter’s charity that provides money to families that have been burned out of their homes. The charity also provides for family members to visit other family members that have been burned at burn centers.
The event is open to the public. Tickets are $50 per person. The event will be held at New World Landing, 600 South Palafox Street, from 5:30 until 10 p.m. Dress for men is a tuxedo, suit or dress uniform. Dress for women is an evening gown.
For tickets, call (850) 698-3105.
Ernest Ward Names October Students Of The Month
October 28, 2013
Ernest Ward Middle School has named their October Students of the Month. They (picture L-R) Kayla Galvan, eighth grade; Aurora McCann, seventh grade; and Keaton Solmonson, sixth grade. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
The Power Of Pink: Thousands Take Part In Breast Cancer Walk
October 27, 2013
About 15,000 people took part in the 11th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk Saturday morning in Pensacola.
“My sister and I walked with our mom who is a breast cancer survivor,” Tiffany White of Flomaton said after the walk along with her mother Brenda Peterson of Century.
Like Tiffany, most walked for a reason. For a mom, a grandmother, a friend or their own personal battle against breast cancer. For many, it’s a party-style event, with a variety of festive outfits. The walk begins at the former University Mall and ends at Cordova Mall.
“I try and walk every year in the Breast Cancer Walk, my grandma had it 15 years ago,” said Ashley Suggs of Cantonment. “She’s a survivor!”
There were hundreds of survivors honored during the walk that raises nearly a half million dollars each year for breast cancer research and the American Cancer Society.
Pictured top: Valerie Craft of Century, survivor Brenda Peterson of Century and Tiffany White of Flomaton. Pictured below: The view from Chris Jordan of Cantonment as an estimated 15,000 took part in the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk Saturday morning in Pensacola. Pictured inset: Ashley Suggs of Cantonment and family walk for her grandmother. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Hundreds Attend Williams Station Day
October 27, 2013
Hundreds attended the 22nd annual Williams Station Day in Atmore Saturday.
Williams Station Day takes its name from Atmore’s early history when in 1866 the community was a supply stop along the Mobile and Great Northern railroad.
Festival-goers were entertained by a wide variety of musical acts, and a wide variety of arts and crafts were also available. The Alabama Blues Brothers provided the feature entertainment as part of their farewell tour.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: The Alabama Blues Brothers perform during Saturday’s Williams Station Day in Atmore. Pictured inset and bottom: Scenes from Williams Station Day. NorthEscambia.com photos by Marcella Wilson, click to enlarge.
Master Deputy Gulsby, K-9 Caleb Place In National Competition
October 27, 2013
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Wayne Gulsby of Molino and his K-9 partner Caleb recently won third place in the Police K9 Agility Competition during the United States Police Canine Association National Certification Course in Washington, D.C.
Gulsby has been employed by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for about 27 years, and K-9 Caleb has served since February of 2013. Caleb is a German bred and imported German Shepherd and is a certified patrol/bomb dog.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Colorful Bedding Plants Can Brighten A Winter Day
October 27, 2013
Decreasing day length is a signal to start preparing for winter. Soon, deciduous shrubs will drop their leaves and the landscape will appear stark and less impressive. To keep the gloomy days of winter at bay, add cool season bedding plants to the landscape.
Bedding plants are those that are commonly used in residential and commercial landscapes to provide color and interest. No other group of plants can so quickly and economically create a colorful landscape.
Most bedding plants are annuals. These short-lived plants grow from seed, bloom and die within one growing season. The transient nature of annuals means that at the end of their season when they are no longer attractive, annuals are removed and replaced with new plantings.
Many flowering plants prefer a very specific season; therefore, bedding plants are classified into two groups based on the temperatures they prefer. Cool season bedding plants do best in the cold to mild temperatures of October through early May and generally tolerate typical winter freezes without protection.
According to a University of Florida/IFAS publication, bedding plants that can be added to the North Florida landscape now include alyssum, baby’s breath, calendula, carnation, dianthus, dusty miller, foxglove, hollyhock, ornamental cabbage and kale, pansy, petunia, snapdragons and violas.
Most annual bedding plants prefer to be in a sunny location. Prepare the planting beds several weeks before planting. First, remove any weeds or other unwanted plants from the bed. Next, turn the soil to a depth of about eight inches. Spread a two- to four-inch layer of compost, rotted leaves, aged manure, composted finely ground pine bark or peat moss over the bed, and then evenly sprinkle a light application of an all purpose fertilizer. Thoroughly blend the organic matter and fertilizer into the bed, rake smooth and you’re ready to plant.
Gardeners are accustomed to (and even demand) that bedding plants be in bloom when they are purchased. Some cool season bedding plants, however, will provide far superior results if they are purchased when young and before the colorful display begins.
Bedding plants are typically planted to make a dramatic statement. To accomplish that, place multiple plants of the same kind in a bed. Bedding plants generally look best and the beds will fill in better when the rows are staggered. Lay out the first row of plants spaced properly. The second row is laid behind the first row at the appropriate spacing from it, but the plants are placed between the plants of the first row so that they form triangles with those plants.
Flower beds of colorful bedding plants add a lot to the landscape but require a fair amount of maintenance to stay looking their best. Keeping beds well weeded is critical. A two-inch layer of mulch will help considerably in keeping weeds from growing, and using preemergence herbicides (weed preventers) may help in some situations. However, always plan on having to do some hand weeding.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.