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World champion
robotics team honored
May 15, 2008
Greenville Herald Banner
By Brad Kellar
Herald-Banner Staff
GREENVILLE - It
wasn't a tickertape parade, but the world champion
Robowranglers received the next best thing this week.
The team from
Greenville High School were the recipients of a proclamation
in their honor from Mayor Tom Oliver and the Greenville City
Council, as well as a standing ovation from the audience
which had gathered for Tuesday's Council meeting.
"You are a real
asset to this city," Oliver said.
The Robowranglers
were a member of the three-team alliance - alongside squads
from Sterling Heights, Mich. and St. Catharines, Ontario -
which won the recent FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition
of Science and Technology) World Championship in Atlanta.
The Robowranglers
are sponsored by Innovation First, Incorporated, and L-3
Communications Integrated Systems.
The FIRST
competition included more than 1,500 teams from the United
States and seven other nations.
Oliver read the
proclamation at the start of Tuesday's meeting, then noted
how special the team's achievement was for Greenville.
"We are so proud
of you, we can't express our feelings," Oliver said.
Johnny Tharp, who
along with Vanessa Pope were the team's faculty sponsors,
expressed similar feelings.
"I can't say how
proud I am of this group of students and their mentors,"
Tharp said.
One of those
mentors was also recognized Tuesday for winning a
prestigious FIRST award.
John Viel-Kind
Neun, a mechanical engineer with Innovation First in
Greenville was honored earlier this year with the Woodie
Flowers Award, which celebrates effective communication in
the art and science of engineering and design. Dr.
William Murphy founded the award in 1996 to recognize
mentors who lead, inspire, and empower using excellent
communication skills. The award is presented to an
outstanding engineer or teacher participating in the
robotics competition who best demonstrates excellence in
teaching science, math, and creative design.
Tharp said that
while the Robowranglers had traditionally done well during
previous FIRST competitions, being part of a world
championship is the biggest honor of all.
"This is the year
the stars aligned and everything came together," Tharp said.
Team members
include Rae Arnold, Allison Chitwood, Michelle Colwell, Cody
Fields, Bethany Follett, Elise Follett, Parker Foote, Parker
Francis, Ben Gilbert, Regan Haralson, Ethan Isham, Trent
Jones, Katie Kroncke, Austin Lambert, Julie Latimer, Mark
Mahrer, Logan Marcum, Zack McClellen, Chris McMurray, Adam
Risley, Laura Risley, Charles Wensel and Kaleb Wright.
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