The Heat went out to Gilmer, TX and competed in the Texas Regional Qualifier.

Finishing 3rd overall was a great outcome for a relatively inexperienced team. They finished 1st in ribs and 2nd in chicken! We were VERY pleased with that! Now that we have our first competition under our belt, we will be entering into more events to hone our skills!



   

The Legal Studies program is off to a great start! The practicum students have prepared for the professional field with mock interviews, and several students have secured internships with local law firms.



Legal Research and Writing students have learned the legal analysis process of I.R.A.C and the concept has been introduced in the Court Systems classes to sharpen their analytical reasoning skills needed in the legal professions. Recently, students have participated in the discussion of constitutional case law using the U.S. Bill of Rights. They have been able to put those skills into practice through mock trial in Court Systems and moot court in Legal Writing. The classes have been able to collaborate having the practicum seniors sit in as jurors for mock trial and give feedback to increase student learning. The students are looking forward to continuing more exciting activities to practice their learned skills.

Keller Center for Advanced Learning Welding pathway is a brand new pathway being taught this year.

That consists of:

Principles of Welding(Year 1)
Welding 1(year 2)
Welding 2(year 3)
Practicum of Welding(year 4)

Students that are taking Principles of welding gain entry-level skills that consist of Safety, SMAW(Shielded Metal Arc Welding), and Oxy/Fuel Cutting. Each advancement in the class will expose students to higher levels of welding and preparation. Students actively learn in peer-to-peer working booths with instructor feedback each class. Each student in this class will gain a better understanding of the career paths that can be taken using welding as a skill and be instructed on what steps to take to achieve their goals in life.

Students of the Keller Center for Advanced Learning Robotics Team recently competed in the Cowtown BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science & Technology) Robotics Competition, and have advanced to the BEST of Texas Championships, December 2-4.

KCAL Robotics finished first in the Game competition, and also earned third place in the BEST award. They now move on to compete against qualifying teams from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arkansas at the Comerica Center in Frisco.

To reach this level of competition, the students had to build a robot called "Demo Daze," where they had to install security lighting, move construction supplies, and demolish a building to recycle and/or throw away the debris. BEST provides the raw materials to build the robots, mainly from wood, PVC, and plastic. Each robot consists of four motors, four servos, and sensors. The robots have set challenges, including autonomous tasks and driver-controlled tasks. The team also prepared an Engineering Notebook, presented a sales pitch, and created a marketing exhibit. These aspects were what helped the KCAL Robotics team earn the third-place BEST award.

Congratulations to KCAL Robotics and BEST of luck at the competition!