West Feliciana Middle School

The West Feliciana Middle School Jr. Beta Robotics Team made up of 7th graders, Lacey Coates, Addy Landry, Rachel Gosserand and Christopher Lathrop, along with 6th grader Alexis Gore, dreamed of going to Nationals from the very beginning.  Using funding from an Entergy Grant, and with the support of parent coaches Cleve and Alyson Coates, the team invested time every day after school and on weekends to prepare for their district competition.  They won First place at District and placed 4th at the Jr. Beta State competition in Lafayette, Louisiana. The team took the Beta theme this year, As Far As the Eye Can See, to another level.  They designed and built a robot that had real world applications for the River Bend Entergy Plant in St. Francisville.  Their idea was that Entergy might be able to use their robot to examine places where it is difficult for humans to go.  The team was ready for Nationals when the country was hit with the Covid Crisis. Their hopes of being able to take their robot all the way to Dallas, Texas seemed lost.  However, they didn’t give up hope.  Team member Rachel Gosserand was the first to share the news with everyone, learning that they could indeed complete by making a video, since the in-person event had been canceled. They team came together once again, at a safe distance from one another and wearing masks, of course.  When the results were in, they were ecstatic to learn that their team, from rural West Feliciana Parish was able to shine bright, finishing in 6th place at the National level.