Abilene, Texas (KRBC) – 

ATEMS High School made it to state in the BEST competition in robotics. It has been five years since the ATEMS High School robotics best team has made it to state, so the coaches and the school are proud.
 

“It has been a long time since we have been there so all of us at the school are excited for the kids, they have done a really really good job,” said Larry Haney, one of the robotics coaches.

Each year they change the theme of the competition, this year focuses on fire safety.

“Puts out flames, removes a mannequin from the field and then disposes of hazardous chemicals and we have to do that in three minutes and the more we do the more points we get,” said Allison Tevebaugh, a senior on the robotics team.

The robot is only 15 percent of the team’s overall score.

“We are not just designing a robot, we are designing a company, so we have to make our product, and market our product, and program our product so we got to test it and make sure that it worked and we did well enough to move on to state,” said Nathan Bryce, a sophomore on the robotics team.

Just the robot itself has to be made in six weeks and it takes them three weeks to design it but the kids do all the crafting themselves.

“They completely sey up the marketing presentation, they build the robot, they cut the materials, they design, they brainstorm, it is all on the students,” said Haney.

It’s been a long road to state and the robotics best team had to qualify at Big Country Regionals, where they brought home six trophies and they’re now hoping to continue their success at state.

“I am very excited, I have always wanted to go state but now we actually get to go. I am really glad that it was within the four years that I was here,” said Tevebaugh.

“I am most excited about state to get to spend time with my team because we have all worked very hard for this,” said Bryce.

The team will compete against about 70 teams from Texas and New Mexico, in Frisco for state on December 7th, 8th and 9th