Thank you to everyone who supported our annual Boosting BEST fundraiser by donating items, purchasing auction items, sponsoring teams, and spreading the word about our annual fundraiser.

Thanks to the generosity of our community and our donor match, RM and FR BEST raised more than $21,597 to support teams during our upcoming season–that is AMAZING! 

If you have not yet connected with Lois to coordinate payment and/or pick-up of auction items, please email her at lois.walton@bestinc.org.



Meet Judith Schlesinger, Board Secretary, Hub & Regional Referee

If you've been at a BEST Competition, you've probably seen Judith as one of the referees, sporting a huge smile and supporting the student competitors on the field!

Q: How did you get involved in BEST and what roles have you held?

J: I started with the Monday kit team in the spring of 2014. I still participate in kit team when I can and have added Board Secretary, TMI lead/presenter, Hub and Regional conference referee, and outreach programs volunteer to my list of titles!

In May 2014, I attended a program by WWF. Carolyn and

I "circled" each other for a while until we finally spoke and realized that she had been a student of mine when I taught at DU back in the '80s. Being Carolyn, it didn't take her long to convince me to get involved with RMB.



As a former CS professor in the "early" days of CS, I knew the importance of getting kids, especially girls, involved early on so it wasn't too hard to convince me. I'd just moved back to Denver upon my retirement and was looking for interesting things to fill my life and BEST was a natural.

Q: Please share a bit about your background--what did you do before retirement and joining BEST?

J: Following my time at DU, I spent 23 years doing CS research at the Center for Computing Sciences (originally Supercomputing Research Center). My work involved research with language, both computer and natural. At the time of my retirement, I'd been working with a small group on automatic summarization of both single and multi-document information in English and other languages.

Q: What are some things you do for fun in your life beyond BEST?

J: I'm a die-hard skier and mountain host at Vail in the winter. I enjoy hiking. I got back into drawing, especially portraits of both people and pets once I retired. I also volunteer at Humane Colorado (Dumb Friends League), something I also did before I left Denver.

Q: What is your favorite thing about BEST?

J: The best part is, of course, the involvement with the kids and watching them bloom. Also, doing TMI for the teachers and mentors and watching them grow is rewarding!

Come Join the Fun at Kids Fest (Saturday, July 19, 2025)

In mid-July, Rocky Mountain PBS is hosting three Kids Fest events across the state—in Colorado Springs, Metro Denver and Grand Junction. RM BEST will be participating in the Metro Denver event on Saturday, July 19 at E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park in Northglenn.

• We will be joining a variety of community partners and hosting a table with kid-centric hands-on activities.



• Check out www.RMPBS.org/kids for more information and please spread the word about this awesome event! In addition to all of the hands-on activities, there will also be Meet & Greets with some favorite characters including Super Why, Clifford, and Carl. 

• Lots of fun, games, splashing, and resources to enjoy! Whether you’re there as a volunteer or to enjoy the event with your family, we look forward to seeing you there!

If you would like to volunteer and help at our RM BEST table, please email Lori.Lazuk@bestinc.org.

Volunteer with the Foresters

(Saturday, August 16, 9:30-11:30am)

Join a group of volunteers from the Foresters at our Lakewood Workshop to help prepare Consumables Kits. Check-in will be at 9:15am and we'll begin work at 9:30am. Coffee, bagels and snacks will be provided.

Interested in helping out? Please fill out this Google Form to register for this event. Lori Lazuk will follow-up with you to confirm your participation.

Volunteer for Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews (Sept/Oct 2025)

We're just 10 weeks away from Kick-Off for the 2025 season and teams will be participating in their Preliminary Design Reviews just 2 weeks later.

• We're in need of volunteers with engineering or design experience who are willing to meet with teams during their Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and/or Critical Design Review (CDR) to provide feedback and help teams to improve their design and approach to solving the problem.

• Although PDR and CDR are no longer judged events, they are critical for helping teams to solidify and improve their designs in order to have a functional and effective product for the competition. Your feedback is significant for their success!

• Virtual PDRs are scheduled for the end of September and virtual CDRs are scheduled for mid-October.



• Training for mentors will take place the week before each event, with virtual PDR Mentor Training tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 20. Training will take approximately 1 hour during day/evening, depending on volunteer availability.

• Volunteer hours are flexible during weekday afternoons and weekend daytime hours, and volunteers can expect to contribute between 4 and 12 hours over a week’s time, depending on their availability.

If you're interested in joining the PDR/CDR Mentor Team, please contact Larry Malik at larry.malik@bestinc.org.



Reminder: our Denver Teacher Mentor Institute (TMI) is scheduled for July 15-17 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church (Littleton, CO).

• If you’ve considered coaching or mentoring a team, or would like a refresher and experience with the new VexV5 Controller, there is still time to sign up for this awesome experience!

• Participants will independently complete a set of pre-training modules, then participate in a 3-day training (in-person or virtual).

• Teacher participants can qualify for up to 45 hours of FREE Professional Development credit. 

To register for TMI, complete this form. Registration Deadline: July 3.

Do you shop at King Soopers? If so, you can support Rocky Mountain BEST just by doing your normal grocery shopping!

King Soopers' Community Rewards Program will donate a portion of all your purchases to a nonprofit of your choice.

There are TWO easy ways to designate RM BEST as the nonprofit that your account is linked to:

Option 1: Send an Email

1) Email KingSoopersCommunityRewards@kingsoopers.com and request to have RM BEST (#GJ308) added to your King Soopers Card account.

Note: You will need to provide either your King Soopers card number or your phone number to link your account.

Option 2: Connect via King Soopers website

1) Go to http://www.kingsoopers.com

2) Sign in to your King Soopers Account.

3) Once signed in, locate the search bar and type "Community Rewards"

5) In the search tab, search for "GJ308". This should bring up RM BEST.

6) Select "Enroll

RM BEST COMMUNITY REWARDS: #GJ308

FALL SEASON EVENTS (VENUES AND DATES TBD)

FALL 2025: Local RM BEST Hub Events

• Kickoff (Early September)
• BEST Robotics kits distribution, game rules revealed and training opportunities (Early September)

• Preliminary and Critical Design Reviews (September & October)
• 30 minute online mentoring sessions during Week 2 and Week 5 to help teams focus and improve their designs

• Practice Day (Late-October)
• Provide team access to game field for practice, Engineering Notebook delivery, and judging of optional BEST Award Marketing Presentations



• Game Day (Early November)
• Head-to-head robot competition and judging, including optional BEST Award Team Exhibits, Interviews, and Spirit and Sportsmanship

DECEMBER 2025: Denver BEST Regional Championship

STEERING TEAM POSITION: VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT

• We are looking for a volunteer interested in helping with volunteer recruitment and communication.
• No robotics or special skills required.
• You can support from home: Meetings are held online and include monthly management meetings, and during the fall season, weekly event preparation meetings.
• It would be great if you are able to volunteer in person at our events.
• To learn more about this team, please contact Carolyn.Bauer@bestinc.org. 

NEW SPONSORS 

• Know a company or foundation that might want to help provide our inspiring STEM program free to schools?  Please contact Carolyn.Bauer@bestinc.org to learn more.



Rocky Mountain BEST Robotics |

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