RoboBibb, preservation awards, Georgia teacher of year awards

Macon, GA

Team RoboBibb, the Bibb County School District robotics team, made it to the World Robotics Championship for the third year in a row.

They finished 19th out of 67 teams in their division at the competition in Houston, Texas, last week, said Carole Myers, the Bibb County District robotics coordinator.

“It feels really good to be able to continue to have a pretty high standard of accomplishment and achievement,” Myers said.

Myers said the team had to build a robot to complete certain tasks in matches that last two-and-a-half minutes.

“We have built probably, technically the most challenging robot we’ve ever built, so they really really stretched themselves to come up with something bigger even than what we’ve done in the past,” Myers said.

Myers said it was an excellent trip, and she was proud of her team.

“We represented very well. When you stand back and look at the whole thing, it was a very successful outing,” she said. “I’m very proud of these kids. They put it all out there.”

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

Four buildings in Macon and one building in Milledgeville received statewide awards in preservation from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, according to a news release.

The Mill Hill Community Arts Center, T.J. Ware House and Williams Manufacturing Co. in Macon received the Excellence in Rehabilitation award, which was presented to 18 organizations, according to the release.

The Grand Opera House in Macon and the McIntosh House at Georgia College in Milledgeville received Excellence in Preservation awards out of the four awards that were presented, according to the release.

GMC Teacher of the Year and Character Educator

Georgia Military College Prep School has selected Emily Boylan as the 2018-19 Teacher of the Year and Debbie Barsby as the 2018-19 Character Educator of the Year, according to a news release.

“I’m extremely grateful to be recognized as the Teacher of the Year, but truly each teacher at GMC, in my view, is a Teacher of the Year because each of us are so passionate about what we teach, and we strive to build character virtues in our students,” Boylan said in the release.

2020 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Kristen Applebee, a teacher at Georgia Academy for the Blind, is a 2020 Georgia Teacher of the Year finalist, according to a news release.

“The ten 2020 finalists for Georgia Teacher of the Year are an exceptional group of educators, and I’m proud to call them my colleagues,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods, in the release. “Each one of them exemplifies what a teacher should be – caring, skilled, knowledgeable and intellectually curious, and first and foremost, laser-focused on the well-being, potential and success of their students.

The winner of the 2020 Georgia Teacher of the Year award will be announced May 18.