This past weekend, RCS Engineering traveled to Auburn University to compete in the South’s BEST Robotics Championship for the third year in a row.

Over 350 teams in the eastern United States vie for a chance to compete in the championships, and of the 56 teams selected, RCS Engineering scored a first-place award for website design and their robot came in 17^th place overall.

Team sponsors Lee Brownell and Mark Keeton said they were proud of the win and for the effort and hard work the students have put into this season.

“Our team competed against the 56 best robotics teams east of the Mississippi River, and to win first place for our website is a great accomplishment considering the competition we were up against,” Brownell said.

“The students did a great job with all aspects of the competition and we’ve very proud of what they have accomplished as a team this year. They consistently represent the Russellville City School System well wherever they go.”

RCS Engineering, which is comprised of Russellville students in grades 6-12, secured their spot for the third consecutive year by winning second place at the Northwest Alabama BEST Hub competition on Oct. 19 in the BEST Award category – an award named after the competition’s sponsor, BEST Robotics, Inc., which is a non-profit and volunteer-based organization whose purpose is to get middle and high school students interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

In addition to the second-place BEST Award, the group also won nine other awards, including second place for Robotics, first place for Spirit and Sportsmanship, second place for Best Teamwork, second place for Most Elegant Robot, second place for Best Robot Craftsmanship, second place for Best Project Engineering Workbook, third place for Creative Design, third place for Most Robust Robot and third place for Best Video.

To keep up with the RCS Engineering program or to visit the award-winning website, visit www.rcsrobotics.org.