NEW!  BEST™ Robotics Competition for Middle & High Schools

Get ready for NW-Alabama BEST™ Robotics Competition! 

for schools in Colbert, Lauderdale, Franklin, Marion, Winston and Lawrence counties.   

BEST™ is a workforce development program, cleverly disguised as a robotics competition!  

BEST™ is a national robotics design & engineering and marketing competition, headquartered at Auburn University .  BEST is FREE for middle & high schools to participate.  Students love it because it’s about robotics, but they are actually getting hands-on experience in problem solving, critical thinking, engineering & design, design to market principles, teamwork, technical skills, leadership, decision making, marketing principles (optional competitions in trade show booth design, marketing / sales presentation, web site design, t-shirt design, video production), business development & management.  Students are mentored by business & industry and parent volunteers throughout the process.  Just all the things we need in a well-qualified workforce in any business or industry! 

 WE  WILL  NEED  A  SMALL  ARMY  OF  VOLUNTEERS to accomplish BEST!   We were planning on 8 – 12 teams competing this first year and already have 14 interested, and we haven’t really begun recruiting in full force yet!  Please get involved wherever you / your organization can!!  You will have a BLAST and will be helping PREPARE  YOUR  FUTURE  WORKFORCE!!  

Volunteers are welcome in the following categories (and likely others!):

• Business & Industry MENTORS – to help students / teams through the Engineering, Robotics, Technical & Business / Marketing processes
• Awards, Judging, Game Referees, Pit Boss, Field Boss – for competition (engineering design of robot, robotics competition, engineering project notebook, marketing presentations, trade show booth design, possibly T-shirt designs, web site design, video production, sportsmanship, school spirit, etc.)
• Building the Playing Field - (24’ x 24’, divided into 4 exact sections, according to detailed plans, per BEST™  annual game challenge - changes every year, some parts can be reused)
• “Kitting” – creating the robot building materials kits each team receives on Kick Off Day
• Boots on the Ground – competition day worker bees, assisting teams, answering questions, directing traffic, whatever comes up…
• Hospitality – serving (snacks, drinks & food) the “masses” especially on competition day, possibly others
• Publicity – help publicize the BEST program w/i the community/region, event dates, media packets, posters, photos, possibly web site
• Educational Partners / Sponsors – help sustain the BEST program from year to year (various partnership levels)
• In-Kind Partners – willing to donate services, materials & supplies, refreshments for meetings, trainings, events, competitions

 NW-SCC has agreed to be the NW-Alabama BEST™ Robotics “hub” (coordinator of and host for the competition).  School teams and business mentors & volunteers and educational partners / sponsors will be recruited from Colbert, Lauderdale, Franklin, Marion, Winston and Lawrence counties.  Please help us spread the word!!  

Please see ATTACHED, additional information about BEST™.

 If you are interested in helping, participating or just finding out more about it, please contact Stephanie (stephs@shoalschamber.com, 256-764-4661).

 “Tools of the Trades”– Career Education for Educators!

Shoals Summer Technology Institute for Educators  AND  

Business Buffets for Educational Leadership 

This year’s Summer Institute format will consist of one session per week for six weeks.  This allows for an extra session and some flexibility from the participants who sometimes have issues with child care or travel during the one-week sessions.  Educators are encouraged to attend all sessions, but some may come to one or only a few.  We also encourage UNA’s students in the College of Education to attend, so they will gain this valuable knowledge before they enter the classroom.  UNA has agreed to list the Summer Technology Institute for Educators in their Summer Professional Development for Teachers & Counselors catalog, so we anticipate a good response.

 THANK  YOU to our sponsors & partners:  Grants – Governor’s Office of Workforce Development and Rural Alabama Initiative; Teacher Sponsor – ABB, Inc.; Corporate – Listerhill TMC & Helen Keller Hospital; Lunch – CB&S Bank & SCA Tissue, TVA - Brown’s Ferry Nuclear; Grants – Governor’s Office of Workforce Development & Rural Alabama Initiative / Auburn / AL Coop. Extension System; Partners & Donors – Northwest-Shoals Community College, Lauderdale County Cooperative Extension System, Buffalo Rock–Pepsi, AIDB, CHG, Firestone, First Metro Bank, Listerhill Credit Union, SunTrust, Florence Eye Center, AL Legacy Environmental Education, ATN, Lyons HR, Martin Industrial Supply, PSI, TimesDaily, U. S. Air Force, YMCA, City of Florence, Sara Lee, ATN, International Paper, TVA Power Service Center, G & G Steel, Buffalo River Services, Wise Alloys, Shoals Entrepreneurial Center, Applied Chemical, Sylvan Learning Center, and National Alabama Corp.

Teacher Supply Depot

 DONATIONS  ALWAYS  WELCOME!!   

Please keep the Teacher Supply Depot in mind, as you upgrade and clean out throughout the year, for any TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donations of gently-used or new office & school supplies, equipment, desk accessories, office furniture or storage, or cash to purchase new schools supplies.   We collect donations YEAR-ROUND and open twice a year, in late August and early January.

 With proration at 17+% over the past 3 years, classroom supply funds were cut out of most school systems’ budgets.  Our educators can really use your help!   

THANK  YOU to our sponsors & partners:  Presenting – Wells Fargo / Wachovia Foundation; Gold – Anchor Tours, Walgreen’s Call Center & Sheffield City Schools; Silver – ICS, Wal-Mart – Muscle Shoals, Sam’s Club & Lauderdale County Schools; Partners – Tuscumbia City Schools, Listerhill Credit Union, PSI, Sam’s Club, Killen Bank Independent, Walgreens, Lambert Moving & Storage, TVA Retirees; Donors – too numerous to list, but thank you to all!!  

 Shoals Business and Industry WORKFORCE  NEEDS  SURVEY - Please Respond!

PLEASE  HELP  SHOALS  EDUCATORS  BETTER  PREPARE  YOUR  FUTURE  WORKFORCE! 

THEY  CANNOT  KNOW  WHAT  YOU  NEED  UNLESS  YOU  TELL  THEM!!

CLICK  HERE to complete the Shoals Business and Industry WORKFORCE  NEEDS  SURVEY  FOR  SCHOOLS (on-line) or copy & paste this link into your web browser

http://www.shoalschambersurvey.com/survey/q.asp?sid=1&k=whtnofualy

If you or your organization has completed the survey in the past, but would like to update your information, the contact person or if you have new processes or workforce needs, please complete it again.  This way, our schools will have your most current information and workforce needs.  If needed, a list can be provided of organizations and persons who have completed the survey thus far.

Your input will assist our local schools to know what you need in high quality, profitable employees!  If you’ve ever wished you could communicate your workforce needs to educators, this is your opportunity! Please help them help you!

Feel free to share this survey link with others in your organization who are interested in sharing their insights into the workforce needs in our area.

 CHOICES®
CHOICES® (www.choices.org) is being presented to every Shoals area 8^th grade classroom between January and March.

 CHOICES® (www.choices.org) helps kids understand the importance of using self-discipline to make good choices in school, personal life, character, money & time management, career preparations, etc.  It’s FUN, fast-paced, dynamic and EASY  TO  PRESENT!  The kids get involved & have fun, so they remember it; volunteers love to present it; & educators love it because it emphasizes self-discipline and the importance of a good education.

 THANK  YOU to our sponsors and partners:  Presenting – Northwest-Shoals Community College; Gold – Wachovia Foundation; Patron – Sylvan Learning Center; Partner - Shoals Chapter SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management).

Dec. ‘10 Unemployment Data

• Florence MSA:  8.6% (down significantly from  10.7% in Dec. ’09)
• Alabama :  8.9% (down from 10.6% in Dec. ‘09)
• U.S. :  9.1% (down from 9.7% in Dec. ’09)