Our volunteers are preparing for our PAY DIRT games and are excitedly reading the draft rules and reviewing the draft game field drawings. These volunteers will learn more about this year's game at the BRI April Prototype Game Weekend in Kansas City on April 24 & 25. 

The full details of the PAY DIRT game will be revealed to the student teams at the September Kickoff events. Until then it's a secret!

A Look Back - 2014 Video & Boosting BEST

2014 Rocky Mountain BEST Blade Runner Game

REMEMBERING THE FANTASTIC 2014 COMPETITION!

We recently posted our 2014 Blade Runner Video on YouTube.  Click the box to the right to access the video.  
 

Thank you to all the 120 volunteers, teachers, mentors, and students from the 32 teams and our generous sponsors that made the 2014 competition a success.

 

Rocky Mountain BEST and the new Douglas County Hub, Front Range BEST, received a FANTASTIC financial BOOST towards providing their FREE robotics competitions to local schools in 2015!  The Boosting BEST fundraiser contributed over $26,000 towards making the 2015 Front Range and Rocky Mountain BEST competitions FREE to local schools.  Thanks to our two generous matching donors for the added boost!

Thank you again to the 90 folks who navigated snow and ice to attend including 12 St. Mary's Academy and STEM Academy    students, teachers, and mentors. And special thanks to our underwriter, Oster Jewelers, and Builders Appliance Center who provided their facility, and the donors of over 300 items and the 25 volunteers who made this all possible. 
  

THANK YOU ALL for supporting BEST

Volunteers Needed Near Term

Monday Kit Team: The Kit Team is counting, testing, and cleaning returned 2014 kits to prepare for 2015 kit activities and labeling BEST BUY grant kits in our new workshop. They meet most Mondays at 999 Vallejo St #2 Denver near I-25 and 8th Avenue from 10 AM - 3 PM with a lunch break at a local restaurant. They can always use an extra hand and no experience or specific skill is needed. If interested, please contact Carolyn at [email protected] for more information. 
 

Thanks to Carolyn Bauer, Gary Pratt, and Scott McEwen for their extra efforts to establish our new workshop. 

 Rocky Mountain BEST Teacher / Mentor Institute (TMI) Lead: With the help of a group of enthusiastic volunteers, this position leads the effort for our 2-day training session offered to new and veteran teachers and mentors in late July. Responsibilities include planning  the event and coordinating volunteer tasking, robot materials, and presentations. Please contact me at [email protected] if you are interested in learning more about this position. It's great fun to work with our amazing teachers & mentors!

Rocky Mountain BEST Venue Lead: Work with other Rocky Mountain BEST leads and volunteers in establishing the venues for the Rocky Mountain BEST late July Teacher / Mentor Institute, September Kickoff event, and October Practice and Game Day events. Please contact me at [email protected] if you are interested in learning more about this position.
 

Robotics at the Hangar (RATH), Sunday, April 12, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver. We are looking for a couple of volunteers to help for a few hours or all afternoon with set up and the robotic hands-on activity from 11 am - 4 pm.

You are also welcome to join in the fun at Robotics at the Hanger for the price of admission. Click on the logo above to learn more about the event. 

Girls in the Middle Conference, Friday, April 17 Trinidad State Junior College, Trinidad. This conference introduces the many exciting possibilities that engineering, science, math, technology and technical education has to offer to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls. Trinidad State Junior College hopes that through introducing these possibilities, the middle school girls will want to continue studying these subjects as they enter high school and beyond. We are sending three volunteers to present a robotic- themed activity at afternoon sessions to 20 of the expected 100 Middle School girls from southern Colorado.
 

1st Annual Youth of the Earth Festival with New Vista High School, Wednesday - EARTH DAY, April 22, from 4-7 PM at Boulder County Fairgrounds, Longmont. The event is FREE and open to all ages! Click on the logo to the right to learn more about the event.

Plan to attend with your friends and family! This is an Xtreme Zero Waste event so:

• Bring your own cup or water bottle or use the drinking fountains.
• Bring old pens and pencils to recycle.
• Bring used cellphones and digital cameras to recycle.
• Buy a Youth of the Earth Festival t-shirt, made from locally-sourced used 100% cotton t-shirts.
• Ride your bicycle and park it in the Bicycle Valet, provided by Bicycle Longmont. 
• Take the bus or carpool.
• Eat food on real dishes. No throw-away dishes here. (Donations accepted for food.)

Rocky Mountain BEST Donation Opportunities

Ways to help make the 2015 BEST Competition FREE to Schools

Please join Rocky Mountain BEST and Front Range BEST ~ Robotics Week Gift Fair Saturday, 11 April from 3-5 pm at the Sheridan Library at 3425 W Oxford Ave, Denver.

• Robot Demonstrations
• Get your Mother's Day Gifts from Independent Consultants from:
• Pampered Chef
• 31 Gifts
• Younique
• Jamberry
• Trades of Hope
• Crafts for kids
• Silent Auction
• Chocolate Therapy Chocolate Bars

For more information please email [email protected] or call 720-323-6827 (text ok)

AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know - same products, same prices, same service. Whenever you shop on AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Rocky Mountain BEST, (Centennial CO).

• To get started, click on the "Shop at AmazonSmile" box on the right to logon to Amazon Smile with your existing Amazon account. 
• If you do not see Rocky Mountain BEST, you can select "Rocky Mountain BEST (Centennial, CO)" after signing in. 
• You'll receive an email confirming you are signed up.
• Once signed up, you'll be reminded of the donation with a "Supporting: Rocky Mountain BEST" in the upper left-hand corner of the screen each time you logon at www.smile.amazon.com.

Benevity - If your company has gift matching through Benevity, Rocky Mountain BEST is one of the eligible non-profit organizations. Please check with your company about gift matching!
 

If you have a Rocky Mountain BEST King Soopers Gift Card, King Soopers will donate 5% of EVERY gift card purchase -- including card refills -- to Rocky Mountain BEST... all at no cost to you -- FOREVER! Everyone needs groceries and gas. Remember to use your Rocky Mountain BEST Gift card to benefit Rocky Mountain BEST. It's really easy.

 

You can also donate at any time to Rocky Mountain BEST at Rocky Mountain BEST at ColoradoGives.org.