Bearden Shopper-News 031212

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IN THIS ISSUE

So long, Donna!

West High graduate Brian “BT” Tate, on-court master of ceremonies at UT men’s basketball games, set a high-energy tone for The Donna Fielden Retirement Extravaganza by telling a story about Fielden making him serve an in-school suspension his freshman year. His crime? He was late for school because he was getting a Rice Krispies treat. See Bean’s story on page A-2

Holocaust survivor tells tale Clara Van Thyn was 20 months old when her Jewish parents boarded a train in Holland and left without her in 1942. She did not realize the magnitude of their sacrifice until many years later when she had a grandchild.

See Sandra Clark’s story on page A-7

Mardi Growl... It wasn’t only the dogs that dressed funny at Mardi Growl downtown. Sandra Clark snapped some great shots.

See page B-3

Signs of spring Springtime just has a special feeling to it. The feeling came to me recently, as I stood and admired my first jonquil, a neat double blossom whose ancestors graced my grandmother’s yard well more than 75 years ago.

See Dr. Collier’s story on page A-6

Cuonzo can coach Marvin West is from the group that thought the end of Bruce Pearl was the end of Tennessee basketball as we had come to know it. He was right.

See Marvin’s story on page A-5

Index Wendy Smith Government/Politics Marvin West Dr. Bob Collier Faith Schools Business Community Calendar Health/Lifestyles

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A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A9-10 A12 B4 Sect B

By Wendy Smith Six high schools represented Knox County at “Rebound Rumble,” a competition between basketballshooting robots held at the Knoxville Convention Center March 1-3. A total of 54 teams came from as far away as Canada to compete in the Smoky Mountain Regional FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. Each team had just six weeks to use a common kit to build a robot that could be operated remotely to shoot and recover basketballs. During the competition, robots were assigned to teams, or alliances, of three, and earned points by shooting baskets or balancing on bridges with other ’bots during each 2-minute, 15-second match. Hardin Valley Academy and Knoxville Catholic High School were two of 12 teams that made it into the semifinals. L&N STEM Academy, Gibbs High School, Farragut High School and Webb School of Knoxville also competed. The FIRST event stresses collaboration as well as competition, says Hardin Valley Academy math and physics teacher John Tilson. Oak Ridge National Lab offered build and practice space and expertise to area teams, and most took advantage of the opportunity. That allowed the teams to work together to solve problems, says Tilson. “Building the robot was such a huge challenge that there was no advantage to withholding information. We all benefitted from collaboration.” One team that wasn’t able to spend much time at ORNL was the youngest at the competition. The L&N STEM Academy currently enrolls only freshmen and sophomores, so no one on the team was old enough to drive to Oak Ridge. While their robot was only part of a winning alliance in three of nine matches, sophomore Jonathan Redington wasn’t discouraged. After all, the team won’t be losing any seniors, he said. “This year, we’ve learned a lot. Next year, all of us are coming back.” Knox Catholic High School’s team will lose six seniors, and five of those have been on the team for four years, says Dale Powers, who refers to herself as “Robomom.”

Ian Powers and Gyucheol Lim remove the Knoxville Catholic School robot from a bridge following a match that placed the team in the semifinals of the Smoky Mountain Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Photos by Wendy Smith Her son, Ian, is one of the team’s graduating seniors. “Traditionally, the fifth year is magic,” she says. “And that’s what we are – a fifth year team.” But it takes more than magic to build a robot. After receiving its kit, the Catholic team spent up to six hours on weekdays and up to 12 hours on Saturdays working on the project. The competition doesn’t just develop engineering skills, but also finance, fundraising and marketing skills, says Powers. Hardin Valley Academy senior Emily Finley joined her school’s team after coming to the event last year to take pictures for the yearbook. “I just fell in love with the atmosphere,” she says. This year, she’s the yearbook editor and is part of the team’s business and media group. Among other contributions, she helped with the team’s entry for the Chair’s Award, which included a video and essays. The teamwork aspect of the competition is huge, says Tilson, as the participants have a great time. And the benefits go beyond building a great ’bot. “I think it really helps my kids in the classroom.”

Jonathan Redington, Eric O’Reilley and Jonathan Sharp tweak the L&N STEM Academy robot. The school’s team, which was entirely composed of freshmen except for Redington, a sophomore, was the youngest at the Smoky Mountain Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

Blinks come to Cedar Bluff By Theresa Edwards

news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Sandra Clark sclark426@aol.com ADVERTISING SALES Darlene Hacker hackerd@ShopperNewsNow.com Debbie Moss mossd@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 24,267 homes in Bearden.

March 12, 2012

Knox ’bots in

10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378)

Glenn Frazier, owner of New Horizons Computer Learning Center, recharges his Nissan LEAF electric vehicle.

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Blinks are electric vehicle charging stations created by ECOtality which are popping up around town. Blinks are used to charge the all-electric Nissan LEAF, which can be purchased through the end of March with possible $2,500 state and $7,500 federal rebates. Six new Blinks are drawing a lot of attention at 9111 Cross Park Drive. They are combined with a long solar covered parking structure built by Ed Zubko of Green Earth Solar. He uses the solar panels for production of electricity to sell to TVA and to demonstrate the value of solar to the community, he said. Another couple of Blinks are lo-

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cated up the hill at New Horizons Computer Learning Center, where owner Glenn Frazier charges his Nissan LEAF. “With the rising of gas prices, it costs about onefourth the cost of gas mile for mile,” Frazier said. “It’s good for trips around town, errands, etc.” A full charge will last around 100 miles, so it is not practical for outof-town travel. It takes about four hours to charge the vehicle, so it is most convenient to charge it at home or work, Frazier explained. But there are some DC Fast Chargers, with the nearest one located at the Cracker Barrel on Campbell StaTo page A-2

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