• Burbank Middle School Qualifies for

    2013 FLL Championship Tournament
      
    What an exciting day! For the first time in its short three-year incarnation, a Robotics Team at Burbank Middle School was able to advance to the FLL Championship for Southeast Texas.
     
    Early in the morning of December 14, 2013, Burbank Middle School's Robotics teams met in the school's parking lot to board the bus that would take them to their first taste of real victory. Even though we had lost one of our coaches, our two other coaches, Ms. Ardath Stewart and Mr. Joshua Rutherford, more than ably picked up the slack. The kids were ready and excited to compete.

    When they got to Rice School, they got a bit of a surprise, as one of Burbank's teams had not been scheduled! Ms. Rosa and Ms. Stewart patiently went through the schedule, figured out where the snafu was, and it was all good. Many thanks to the tournament director at Rice Middle School for being so nice and cooperative with us so that everything was resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

    The tournament advanced quickly, with Burbank's teams moving fast through their project, teamwork, and robot performance phases. And wouldn't you know it: one of the teams, The Eaglebots, was in second place! The kids were super happy! This meant that Burbank Middle School had a spot at the FLL Regional Championship for Southeast Texas. This tournament would take place on January 4, 2014, which was still during our Winter Holiday. However, The Eaglebots and their coach Mr. Rutherford, would not be denied. They were committed to compete, even if it meant giving up on one of their holidays. 

    The FLL Southeast Texas Regional Tournament was held at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. The Eaglebots and their coach were present and ready to win, but it was not to be this time around. However, the experience was so amazing that it left them with the desire to do even more. They left the tourney with plans to look for other venues in which to participate and continue growing.

    Many thanks to Ms. Stewart and Mr. Rutherford, who stayed many afternoons with their teams, helping them put their presentations together. Without their willingness to sacrifice their evenings the teams would not have been able to compete! Many thanks to our student volunteer, David Torres, who came in the afternoons to help out with the teams. David is an experienced roboticist and his help is very much appreciated. And thanks to Ms. Rosa for putting together our field trips and making sure we have everything we need to compete. This second semester is sure to get better.
     
    FLL at Rice