[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2028]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE MONROEVILLE JUNIOR HIGH ROBOTICS TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 2012

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to shine the spotlight on a 
talented and dedicated group of young people from Southwest Alabama 
whose hard work and ingenuity have garnered them much-deserved national 
recognition.
  On February, 7, 2012, students from Monroeville Junior High School's 
robotics team participated in the second annual White House 
Presidential Science Fair where they personally demonstrated their 
robotic creations for President Obama. From all reports, the President 
was duely impressed.
  Monroeville Junior High was the only Alabama school and the only BEST 
school robotics team to receive an invitation to this prestigious 
national event.
  Monroeville Junior High is one of 24 Alabama schools currently 
participating in the Boosting Engineering Science and Technology (BEST) 
program, which introduces students to engineering and technology and 
teaches the skills needed for today's high-tech workforce.
  Monroeville Junior High has also competed in the Great Freight 
Robotics Challenge bringing home many awards including the 1st Place 
Five Star Award (overall winner). They also competed in the Jubilee 
BEST Robotics Competition in Mobile, winning several awards and 
qualifying to advance to South's BEST Regional Competition hosted by 
Auburn University. At that event, the team brought home the 3rd Place 
Engineering Notebook Award out of 50 champion teams from across the 
eastern half of the country.
  After their visit to the White House last week, the students arrived 
on Capitol Hill where it was my honor to personally welcome them and 
talk to them about their achievements. These students have proven that 
age is no limitation to teamwork and success.
  A special congratulations goes to each of the Monroeville Junior High 
robotics team members: Morgan Ard, Sarah Baker Barnhardt, Andrew 
Cahill, Laken Cole, Tiara Dean, Jessica Feaster, Lindsay James, Kaitlyn 
Johnson, Octavia Johnson, Terrance Johnson, Ellissa Kidd, Jadarrius 
Kidd, Robert Knight, Maggie Ray, Jada Robbins, Desmond Stevens, and 
Titus Walker.
  On behalf of the people of Alabama, a job well done, Monroeville 
Junior High!

                          ____________________