1. Keys to Winning: Strategies for the BEST Award
Virginia Vilardi
And Jennifer Cox

2. BEST Award BEST Award: Engineering Notebook
Team Exhibit (Table Display)
Marketing Presentation (Oral Presentation)
Spirit and Sportsmanship
Robot

3. Engineering Notebook Details the construction of the robot
Starts with brainstorming/defining the problem
Includes strategy, calculations, drawings, pictures, testing and CAD
Use consistent font and style throughout document - professional
Not a scrapbook
Does not include marketing or team info
Research Paper

4. Proof of Student Designed and built robot
Engineering Notebook
Proof of Student Designed and built robot
CAD/photos/tables

5. Team Exhibit/Table Display
Student Knowledge of Material Displayed – very Important!
Focus should be on the robot and the marketing of the robot and team
Include school and community involvement
Should show how the team represents BEST
Remember that adults will be judging – entrances, font size, colors should be adult friendly
Showcases the teams “company” as a whole
Use technology if available

6. Team Exhibit/Table Display
Eye Catching

7. Team Exhibit/Table Display
Welcoming with students “at the door”

8. Team Exhibit/Table Display
Holds the audience’s attention while educating them about the “company”

9. Team Exhibit/Table Display
Can incorporate the game theme or go in a completely different direction

10. Team Exhibit/Table Display
Can you find the problem?

11. Team Exhibit/Table Display
What’s right with these exhibits?

12. Team Exhibit/Table Display
Community Involvement
Have robot will travel

13. Robot at AUM Groundbreaking

14. Team Exhibit/Table Display
Demonstrations
Parades and Carnivals

15. Team Exhibit/Table Display
School Involvement

16. Team Exhibit/Table Display

17. Marketing Presentation/Oral Presentation
Should showcase team as a business
Include demographics and team divisions
Include how the team marketed BEST, their robot and the team
Include fundraising and budget
Include strategy
Include robot design, test, evaluations
Should be professional
Have a backup plan – more then one save of PPT

18. Marketing Presentation/Oral Presentation
Check outfits ahead of time
Practice, practice, practice
Have an understudy ready to step up if necessary
Remind students not to look at the slides
Maintain eye contact with the judges
Memorize the speech!

19. Dr. Leonard Rogers (Business Assistants)
Our Company
Wetumpka High School Science Department (Owner) Virginia Vilardi (CEO) Robert Bryan Carmine Vilardi (Technical Advisor ) (Business Advisor) Barbra Bryan, Debbie Clark, Paul Daniels, Becky Jones, Jessica Holbert, Robert Vilardi
Dr. Leonard Rogers (Business Assistants)
Zac Jones, Carl Lyness, Sabrina Lynn , Cassidy Overby, Aaron Sexton (Mentoring Assistant)

20. Our Company Virginia Vilardi CEO Barbra Bryan Mentor
Debbie Clark Mentor
Paul Daniels Mentor
Becky Jones Mentor
Jessica Holbert Mentor
Leonard Rogers Mentor
Ryan Ebbinga Engineering Capt.
Megan Moody Business Capt.
Robot
Team
Playing Field Alex Webber
Drive
J. Oliver
CAD
Jared Bagget
Web Page Katie Dulak
Notebook
Tulsi Patel
Team Exhibit
J. Harrison
Spirit
Ashtyn Clark
Presentation
Marie Reuter
Wheel
Team
Research Dalton, Cape
T-Shirt E. Rodriguez
Drawstring Team
Scrapbook
C. Golson
Basket Team
Fundraising
C. Smith
Give-a-Ways
Ashtyn Clark

21. Company Diversity
Freshmen 10
Sophomores 12
Seniors 10
Juniors 10

22. Bake Sale Bagging for Tips
Fundraising
T-Shirts/ Hex Bugs
Bake Sale Bagging for Tips

23. Total Funds Raised Sponsor Donations/ Investments $4,625.72
T-shirt Fundraiser
$869.00
Bagging for Tips
$400.00
Product Expo
$250.00
Hexbug Fundraiser
$50.00
Bake Sale
$175.00
Total
$ 6,369.72

24. Spirit and Sportsmanship
Promotes networking with other young people
Improves people skills
Nice guys can finish first!
Show team spirit with t-shirts, mascots, band etc.
Parents and other attending need to be involved
Team event – all members count!
Send good luck cards, buttons, signs

25. Spirit and Sportsmanship

26. Spirit and Sportsmanship

27. Spirit and Sportsmanship

28. Robot Needs to be able to move and score
Better the robot the higher the BEST score for the robot
Better the robot – increases team excitement and team spirit
You need a working robot by week 4 because the students need to practice driving it
Driver practice is critical

29. Robot

30. Pointers READ and Follow the RULES
Use the individual event score sheets as a guide – they may change every year so make sure you do too
Create a timeline and stick to it
Review everything using the score sheets as a checklist – have someone outside doing the checking
Let the students have ownership – the more they do the better you will do
There will be good years and rebuilding years – leadership changes as the students grow and graduate

31. Success Stories
Josh
Steven
Nick Q
Oliver

32. Questions?

33. Be the BEST!