Lee Engineering Teacher Awarded State Teacher of the Year (8/6/2010)

MARCO ISLAND – The Florida Engineering Society (FES) K-12 Committee presented the first annual K-12 Awards to two individuals on Friday, August 6, 2010 in Marco Island, FL. The 2010 Teacher of the Year for Engineering was presented to Jeffrey G. Cumber from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, FL. Jeffrey and Robert E. Lee High School received $500 checks from the K-12 Committee and the Florida Engineering Foundation to support future K-12 initiatives in the classroom.

The awards program recognizes and rewards the support by the teachers and engineer volunteers that encourage math, science and problem solving in the classroom. The FES K-12 Teacher of the Year Award for Engineering recognizes an individual teacher who creatively incorporates and promotes engineering and technology concepts and activities in their classroom lessons. Jeffery G. Cumber from Robert E. Lee Senior High School in Jacksonville, Florida is the lead magnet teacher for Robert E. Lee High School Math, Science, and Engineering Academy and believes that teaching should be hands-on, inquiry-based, real-world applications using the latest technology, and tailored to what students like to do. He works year round to
connect teachers to engineering and engineering to students. He is passionate about bringing the real world to the classroom, and as a result, students are excelling and embracing math, science, and engineering. Jeff
received strong support from his Principal, Dr. Denise D. Hall and from the Northeast Florida FES Chapter members.

The K-12 awards program was supported and funded by the generous donations received through the Florida Engineering Foundation. Additional information about FES, K-12 Committee, and FEF is available at www.fleng.org.

Lee High School Academy of Engineering Nationally Recognized as “Model” Academy (5/5/2010)

JACKSONVILLE – The Robert E. Lee High School Engineering Academy, which is part of its Math, Science, and Engineering Academy Magnet, was recently given the status of “Model” by the National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC).

The National Career Academy Coalition is the recognized leader for collaborative support and sustainability of career academies, and provides the only national certification for career academies across the country. Nationally, Lee High is now one of three Model Engineering Academies and is the only one that focuses solely on engineering. In total there were 16 programs ranked as “Model” as of August 2009, and only a few schools in Florida hold this distinction. Robert E. Lee High School is the first academy in Duval County to be recognized as a Model academy.

“We are very excited and honored to receive this recognition said Lee High School principal, Denise Hall. “This status is a reflection of the hard work that our teachers and staff have been putting into this program and is indicative of the high caliber of students that have chosen this academy as their course of study.”

The NCAC career academy review process is based on the 10 National Standards of Practice introduced in 2004 in Washington, D.C. by a consortium of career academy organizations and endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. An academy requesting a review goes through a written self-assessment process and a site visit and is ranked as “Model,” “Certified” or “In Progress.”

Model academies adhere to rigorous national standards, and evaluators have found that these academies are far more likely to show positive results for student success. Model academies are able to use their status to garner additional funds and resources. As academies significantly multiply across the country and school districts and business partners want to learn how to design and implement academies, looking to Model academies becomes an answer.

About Career Academies

Career academies differ from traditional academic or career and technical education because they prepare high school students for both college and careers. Academies provide broad information about a field such as healthcare, finance, engineering, media or natural resources. They weave the themes into academic curricula that qualify students for admission to four-year colleges or universities.

Studies have found that students in career academies perform better in high school and are more likely to continue into post secondary education, compared to similar students in the same schools. Several leading organizations of career academies have agreed on a common standard for academies, and use the following parameters when describing a career academy: a small learning community comprised of a group of students within the larger high school who take classes together for at least two years, and are taught by a team of teachers from different disciplines; a college preparatory curriculum with a career theme, enabling students to see relationships among academic subjects, and their application to a broad field of work; and partnerships with employers, the community and local colleges to bring resources from outside the high school to improve student motivation and achievement.

Representatives from Lee High School will be present in Austin, Texas to accept the award in November 2010 at the NCAC National Conference.

Duval County Public Schools, the nation's 21st largest school district, operates 166 schools and serves approximately 123,000 students. The school district is committed to providing high quality educational opportunities that will inspire all students to acquire and use the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a global economy, and culturally diverse world.

Lee High Competes at Botball Regional Robotics Competition, Wins 1st Place in Tournament (3/14/09)

After some initial setbacks in the qualifying rounds, the Robert E. Lee Robotics Team used a combination of defensive strategy and quick programming to post a perfect 5-0 record and win the 12th annual Botball Robotics Southeast Regional Double Elimination Tournament, held on March 14th, 2009 at the University of North Florida.

The day started out disappointing for the Lee team. During the initial seeding rounds, the team ran into a host of technical and programming issues. Their strategy hinged on trying to pick up numerous scoring items and placing them in the correct scoring areas. Unfortunately, the robots were not cooperating. The Lee team scored zero points and was seeded 11th out of 12 teams.

During the intermission, the Generals finally solved their programming problems and had a working robot to score points and begin the tournament. They also had a secret weapon that would ensure their success in the tournament. The team had constructed a third robot that had a purely defensive role. Named Border Patrol, it sped to the opponent’s scoring area, extended a blockade, and prevented the other team from reaching their goal.

In the first match against Douglas Anderson High School, the Border Patrol strategy worked perfectly, as the Generals won with a score of 12-0. The same was true against Nease High School Team #1, a 9-0 victory for the Generals. Things began to get interesting as Lee’s next match was against Haralson County, Georgia Team #2. Haralson was the top qualifier from the seeding round, posting an astounding top score of 185 points. Border Patrol was again victorious, as the high scoring Haralson team was held to zero.

The next two opponents attempted to adjust to the Generals’ strategy, but the Generals were ready for them. In the semifinals, Mainland High School attempted to use the Generals’ strategy against them. Mainland tried to block the Lee robots from scoring in the high-point areas, but the Generals were confident in their defensive strategy. They had changed their scoring robot to pick up only 1 item, for a total of 5 points. If Border Patrol did its job, five would be enough. Again, the strategy worked to perfection and Lee won 5-0.

Up next was the final match, against Nease High Team #2. Nease tried to use raw speed to race its robot around Border Patrol, and actually succeeded. However, after some tense moments, the Nease robot overshot its mark and dropped its scoring items off the table. The final match ended with the now-common score of 5-0 and a Generals victory.

This is the latest in a long string of successes for the Lee High Robotics Team. In the past four years, they have been regional finalists twice, with their biggest success coming in 2007 as they garnered International Finalist honors at the Global Conference on Educational Robotics held in Honolulu. This past February 20th, they also came in 1st and 2nd at the University-level IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Robot Competition.

Up next is the Global Conference on Educational Robotics International Botball tournament, which will be held July 1st -5th, 2009.

The Lee Team is made up of seniors Andrew Dobson and Preston Delp, juniors Alexander Hoffmann, Taylor Holmes, Preston Johnson, Jonathan Frias, Caddi Locke, D’Andrea Haynes, and Amanda Duemmel, and Sophomores Micah Hall, Sam Belton, Panquat Kyesmu, Jacob Bruinsma, and Robert Lane.

Lee High School Competes at US Army Corps of Engineers Competition, Dominates Bridge Design Event (2/22/08)

Students from Lee High School's Engineering Academy comprised teams that competed as part of the annual United States Army Corps of Engineering Career Day Event. As the only Duval County Public High School and one of only two public high schools overall in the competition, the teams from Lee dominated the 5^th annual event.

The competition had two major parts: a take-home portion in which teams of students designed a virtual bridge and built an architectural model, and a 'surprise' portion that the teams undertook on the day of the competition. The virtual bridge for the take home competition was designed using West Point Bridge Designer 2007, a free software package used for truss bridge design and given free of charge by the US Military Academy. The students also had to construct a scaled architectural model of the bridge they designed. The virtual bridges were scored based on price, with the objective of the competition to design the lowest priced bridge for a particular load case.

The Lee High School team of Hasseb Qazizada, Charles McKitrick, and Jeffrey Miranda placed first in the bridge design competition with a cost of $186, 374.96 (1^st) and an architectural model score of 97 out of 100(2^nd). Lee High School also placed second, with the team of Sam Howard, Jason Svekovsky, John Houston, and Trevaris Long scoring $188,573.61 (3^rd) and 99 out of 100 (1^st). Lee High School teams also placed 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th in the competition, with The Greenwood School placing 3^rd, and Bishop Kenny High School Placing 7^th. Other area schools in the competition included Mandarin Christian Academy, Trinity Christian, Fernandina Beach High School, Episcopal High, and defending champion Eagle's View Academy.

     On the web: www.samejax.org

Lee High Students Chosen for Prestigious Joe Berg Society

Two Lee High School Students were recently offered membership to the Joe Berg Society of Jacksonville. Tim Pham and Ajjawi Youssef were recognized for their accomplishments in the Sciences and Humanities.

The Joe Berg Society of Jacksonville is a prestigious academic society which offers twelve seminars yearly between September and May in each of the Humanities and Sciences. Membership extends from the middle of the Sophomore year to the middle of the Senior year. Seminars are held at the Museum of Science and History unless the group is on a field trip. Speakers are college professors and professionals from our community who want to share their fields with outstanding high schools students.

In the fall of their Sophomore year, potential Joe Berg participants are nominated by their high school teachers and guidance counselors based upon their GPA and demonstrated interest in enrichment. These nominees sit for a rigorous examination in either the sciences or humanities. The Society admits about 50 students from roughly fifteen public and private Jacksonville high schools into each series each year. The Joe Berg Graduation ceremony is held in the middle of the students' Senior year. These graduates have participated in twenty-seven to thirty-six hours of college level lecture and discussion.

     On the web: http://www.unf.edu/coas/chemphys/phys/csp/joeberg/

Lee High School Invited to First-Ever Medtronic ENT Medical Engineering Career Day Event (2/29/08)

Thirty Lee High School Engineering Academy Students were invited to attend Medical Engineering Career Day Hosted by Medtronic ENT and sponsored by MECCA, Medtronic's African-American resource group. This marks the first time a group of high school students has been allowed to tour the facility, which designs and manufactures medical devices and surgical implements for ear, nose, and throat procedures.

The students took part in various seminars, including Design Development, Biocompatibility, Packaging Engineering, Sterile Manufacturing, and Quality Assurance. The students were allowed exclusive access to Medtronic's clean-room manufacturing facility, as well as design and prototyping labs.

     On the web: www.medtronicENT.com

Lee High School Wins Fourth Straight Regional SECME Engineering Design Title (3/20/08)

Lee High School was once again victorious at this year's Jacksonville District Engineering Design competition held at the UNF Arena and sponsored by the UNF School of Engineering. The Generals' team, consisting of Emma Slier, Caitlyn Woods, and Alexander Hoffman, garnered a best-ever score of 222 out of 250. They had a perfect 100 point design performance score, and added 43 points out of 50 on the team interview portion, 40/50 on their technical drawing, and 49/50 on their technical report. The second place winner was Wolfson High School with a score of 140, and third place was Forrest High School with a score of 109.

The Generals now move on to the SECME National Student Finals, held June 26-29 at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Generals have had previous success at the National Finals, with 2^nd place wins in 2005 and 2007 in the Rocketry event and a National Championship in 2006.

     On the web: www.secme.org

Lee Engineering Student is AAEA Student of the Year Finalist

The Florida African American Education Alliance is proud to congratulate Lee High Engineering student Adam Fitts as a finalist for their student of the year award.  The Award is the most recent in a series for Fitts, who has been a part of Lee High's nationally recognized robotics team and has also represented Florida at the National Youth Leadership Forum on Technology.

The Alliance seeks to uplift the African American communities by acknowledging African American students and applauding their academic improvements, while celebrating the accomplishments of African American leaders and community organizations. The African American Education Alliance also recognizes the need to support the efforts of all students, teachers, principals, and communities in Florida. Consequently, FAAEA will recognize and honor: high achieving minority students who are focused in science, technology, engineering or math; teachers and administrators who have demonstrated a commitment to advance and increase minority achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math; and innovative after-school and community programs that have proven success in serving minority students in science, technology, engineering, and math.

     On the web: www.aaedalliance.org

Lee Robotics Team Earns Finalist Award at International Autonomous Robot Tournament (7/14/07)

HONOLULU, HI – In only its second year of international competition, the Robert E. Lee Senior High School Robotics Team has shown that it is not only one of the top robotics teams in Florida, but also the world.  Thirteen members of the robotics team made the trip to the International Botball Robotics Tournament held July 9-13 at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii and competed against schools from the United States, Europe, and Japan.  The students comprised two separate teams.  Team 1 consisted of Tanner Best, Kevin Scott, Jonathan Frias, A.J. Dobson, Preston Delp, Alexander Hoffman, and Preston Johnson.  Team 2 included Matt Pittman, Adam Fitts, Chris Hume, John Dachoute, Jeremy Howard, and Hasseb Qazizada.

The teams’ first challenge was the seeding round, in which a team’s robots attempt to score as many points as possible without the presence of another team.  Team 1 finished 23^rd in the seeding round with an average of 22.5 points, while Team 2, through technical difficulties, finished 33^rd with an average of 12.5.

Where the teams really shone was the double elimination tournament.  Team 1 earned a first round bye, and went 4-0 and was one of 2 teams from its bracket and one of 12 overall to be undefeated when the finals started.  The team then lost its next game and moved to the 1-loss bracket.  The team won one more game before falling to Eastlake High School. Team 1 ended up in 7^th place for the double elimination tournament and was awarded a Finalist plaque.  Coupled with its 23^rd place in the seeding round, Team 1 finished 16^th out of 65 teams.

Team 2 ran its way out to a 3-0 record, good enough to be in the top 4 of its bracket.  The team had a few technical difficulties, however, and lost its next 2 games and was eliminated.  Even so, their performance was good enough for a 27^th place finish in the tournament and 31^st place overall.

Other Jacksonville-area teams in the events were Florida regional winner Episcopal High, which came in 47th, and Nease High, which was 24th.

      On the web: www.botball.org

Medtronic, Inc. Grant to fund 2007 Engineering Summer Institute (4/17/07)

     Lee High has just received notification that it has received a $10,000 Education in the Community Grant to fund the inaugural Engineering Summer Institute.  The purpose of the Engineering Summer Institute is to interest middle school students in the field of Engineering and Technology, as well as ease the transition for incoming ninth graders in that field.  The ninth graders will be more comfortable with and will learn the skills necessary to be successful in high school engineering, and they will mentor the younger students and learn leadership skills.

     The Institute will be an essential part of the Engineering Academy at Lee High School.  "There is a need in this country for more students to enter the engineering field.  Other countries have many more students working in the US every year, and we need to get our children interested in and prepared for engineering careers at an early age.  Students also need to see the connections between math, science and technology and understand the importance of applications to the real world.  Often, students resist learning math and science because they do not see the real-world applications."  says Jeff Cumber, Academy Lead Teacher.

   There are currently 50 slots for 9th graders and 50 slots for incoming 8th graders.  There are 4 week-long Institutes that serve 25 students each.  For more information, please email cumberj@dreamsbeginhere.org.

Lee Teacher Selected for Space Foundation Teacher Liaison (4/2/07)

     Today the Space Foundation announced the selection of the 2007 Flight of Teacher Liaisons. This year’s flight consists of 29 individuals from across the country including traditional and non-traditional educators from public and private schools and the aerospace industry. The highly-regarded Teacher Liaison program, now in its fourth year, selects teachers who actively promote space and science education in the classroom and the community. The teachers who are chosen for this honor serve as advocates for space science education, and conduits into their classrooms, schools, and districts. The Liaisons will be honored at the 23rd National Space Symposium, which will be held at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, April 9 – 12, 2007.

Among those selected is current Lee High Math, Science and Engineering Academy Magnet Program Lead teacher Jeff Cumber.  Mr. Cumber has been teaching at Lee High school for the past four years, and has been part of the Magnet Program for three.  Mr. Cumber teaches Engineering Technology and is sponsor and coach of the Lee High Robotics Team and Engineering Team.  Only 8 high school teachers from across the nation were chosen for the honor, as well as 8 middle school and 9 elementary teachers.

Teacher Liaison selection is made by a panel consisting of an industry expert, Teacher Liaison alumni, current Teacher Liaison, and Space Foundation representative. All educators who have a desire to further integrate space and science education into their curriculum are eligible to apply for this program. Those selected as liaisons transition to alumni status after a one-year term.

     On the web: www.spacefoundation.org

Lee Student Headed to MIT (3/29/07)

     Kenneth Boshell, a 2006 graduate of the Lee High Magnet Program and a current computer Science/English major at Jacksonville University, has been selected to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the world's most prestigious technology-based institutions. He will be transferring for the 2008-2009 school year.

While at Lee, Boshell was active in the Navy ROTC program, as well as a member of the Solar Generals Solar Car Team.  He was also a member of the Brain Brawl Team, and was on the team during its undefeated championship season in 2003.

     On the web: www.mit.edu

Lee High Wins SECME District Engineering Title for 3rd Year in a row (3/28/07)

     The Lee High Engineering team was once again victorious at this years SECME Jacksonville District Competition.  The team swept all events, and will be headed to the National Student Finals, held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  The team will be competing in two events, Engineering Design and Rocketry.  In 2006, the team finished fifth in Engineering Design and won the Rocketry event, after finishing second in Rocketry in 2005.

1st Place Bridge Design:  Dino Mehinovic

1st Place Rocketry: Emma Slier, Caitlyn Woods, Alexander Hoffman

1st Place Engineering Design: Matthew Pittman, Mia-lahn Smith, Trevor Cope

     On the web: www.secme.org

Lee Generals Robotics teams finish 2nd, 4th in Regional Competition; Headed to Honolulu (3/17/07)

Lee Engineering Outreach Program visits Hendricks Avenue Elementary (11/7/06)

Lee High Competes at SECME National Student Finals; Wins Rocketry Event (6/25/06)

     After winning the Jacksonville Regional Competition, the Lee High Engineering Team, composed of Trevor Cope, Josie Hodge, and Emma Slier, traveled to take part in the SECME National Student Finals, held July 13-16 and hosted by the University of South Florida College of Engineering in Tampa, Florida .

     On the web: www.secme.org

Lee High Student selected for Manufacturing Innovation Internship at UNF (6/1/06)

     Lee High Engineering Student Trevor Cope (11th Grade) has been selected to participate on a design team with the University of North Florida's School of Engineering Manufacturing Innovation Partnership. The MIP's goals are to develop a shared design and manufacturing center providing resources for the local manufacturing and design companies to aid in the economic and technical development of the Northeast Florida Region, and to improve the technical education and preparation of the future workforce in the region.

The project Cope was a part of was in conjunction with Armor Holdings, Inc., a leading design and manufacturing company of security and law enforcement related equipment supplies.
 
One product manufactured by Armor Holdings, Inc. is the Break-free Bore Brushes. During the summer of 2006, UNF students and three high school students, including Cope, have worked on design concepts of the problem proposed by Armor Holdings, Inc. The problem statement is to create a universal bore brush cleaner that will replace the multitude of other brushes from the range 105-155mm.

     On the web: www.armorholdings.com

                      http://www.ccec.unf.edu/projects/mip/