Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/129431
MULTIPLE HONORS Members of Brookside Middle School's robotics teams are headed to the national competition. Photo by Scott Proffitt THE SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNIZES WINNING STUDENTS ON A ROBOTICS TEAM AND THOSE WITH WORKS IN THE EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES EXHIBIT By Scott Proffitt Staff Writer It may be the first year eighth-graders at Brookside Middle School in Sarasota have organized teams for the Technology Student Association (TSA) robotics competition, but that first time has proven charmed: The teams took first-place honors at the state level and are headed to Nationals. "For us to have both teams place first, in our opening year, went way beyond my expectations," Kaplan continued. "It is truly unheard of." The teams are now headed for the National TSA Competition, which will be held June Joel Kaplan, technology education teacher at 28 to July 2 in Orlando. Of the three Florida Brookside, was just hoping his students could teams, two are from Brookside. manage to build a robot and get it to the state competition, he told the Sarasota County The students on the teams are as follows: School Board during its May 7 meeting. • Team 6105B — Kevin Ewing, Alexander Kane and Ian Lee. "I get to school an hour early," Kaplan said. "If I need to stop for gas or something, I start to worry, because these kids are at my classroom • Team 6105C — Nicholas Greb, Jonathan Fulkert, Cole Foley and Austen Greenwell. door, waiting to get in." He added that his students worked on their The robotics team members were not the robots before school, during their lunch peri- only students earning recognition at the May od and on weekends. 7 meeting.