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Vol. 27, No. 36 | Richmond Suburban Newspapers | January 5, 2011
2 localities top best places list
Robotics team nets honorable mention
Businessweek.com on where to raise kids
By Maggie Jackson Special to The Local
Dec. 4 and 5 were busy days for the Stonewall Jackson Robotic Rebels. The team, sponsored by Matthew D’Ascoli, science teacher at SJMS, competed and succeeded in the First Lego League regional competition on Oct. 30, thus moving on to the weekendlong FLL State Championships at James Madison University. First Lego League is an organization that started 10 years ago with only a few Robotics teams, and has continued growing throughout the years. At the Regional Competition, the Robotic Rebels tied for first place with another middle school’s Robotics team, and the Robotic Rebels made it to the Statewide Robotic Competition, competing alongside 97 other Robotics teams throughout Virginia. The Robotic “It came Rebels competed as a shock to against 97 ever ybody, other teams we knew they at the state event. worked hard, but even they didn’t think they would go that far,” parent Chris Jackson said. The Robotic Rebels put in many hours
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Photo submitted by Maggie Jackson
Stonewall Jackson Middle School students, from left, Cal Costic, Ryan Lucia, Alec Dalton, Andy Jackson, Seth Peacock and Jordan Gibson display their robot design.
practicing for State Championships. Every Tuesday, Ryan Lucia, Cal Costic, Alec Dalton, Jordan Gibson, Andy Jackson and Seth Peacock would stay after school for a few hours to perfect their projects, and occasionally they would get together on the weekend to continue building. Finally, when the time came to show the judges what the team had put together, the boys and their families ventured out to Harrisonburg for State Championships. The FLL State Championships lasted two days; Saturday, Dec. 4, was primarily a day for organization and practicing within the teams, but they began their rounds of judging in the afternoon.
The Robotic Rebels began their journey by acting out a skit, which introduced an optical enhancer which would allow people to see 50 times farther than they would normally. Later that day, the team was judged on teamwork. Judges scored them on how well they could work together efficiently and professionally while they performed a timed improvisation task. “I thought the teamwork judging was interesting because it counted for our score as much as the robot did, and we didn’t even practice for it,” Costic said. After a good night’s rest, the Robotic Rebels set their eyes on the prize for the
Ashland, founded in 1858, The survey also centers has earned the top spot in on middle-income communiVirginia through Businessweek. ties where the median famcom’s fifth annual ranking of ily income is within 20 percent the best places in America to ($57,832 in Ashland) of the raise kids. Mechanicsville was state median, thus eliminating named runaffluent and ner-up in the low-income Ashland earned poll. localities. the top spot in Virginia, The 2011 According while Mechanicsville ranking foto the latest was named runner-up. cuses on small statistics procities, towns vided by the and villages U.S. Census with populations larger than Bureau, in 2009 the national the median for the state but no median family income was greater than 50,000. $61,082. Ashland, located 15 miles While low taxes are attracnorth of Richmond, has a popsee BEST, pg. 4 ` ulation of 6,519.
Miss Mechanicsville Pageant to be held March 26 at AHS With more than $10,000 in college scholarships, savings bonds and other prizes being awarded, the 2011 Miss Mechanicsville Pageant is scheduled for Saturday, March 26, at Atlee High School. The divisions are:
see ROBOTICS, pg. 5 `
LINDSEY MARTIN
see PAGEANT, pg. 7 `