Latest news with #Laxton
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SPS robotics program highlights need for more space
Stillwater High sophomore Barbara Laxton isn't afraid to speak up about the Stillwater Public Schools robotics program – whether that's to members of the Board of Education or to friends or anyone else who will listen. But she has a bigger goal in mind – someday she wants to win a free ticket to the VEX Robotics World Championship held in May in Dallas. Robotics competitors can either win an award at the state championship or complete an online challenge to win a free ticket. Online challenges include activities such as building an instruction guide, a community challenge, a drone career readiness challenge, a game design challenge, marketing, STEM research and more. Students are graded on a rubric system, and if they become a finalist, they have an interview with VEX robotics program coordinators. Laxton chose the STEM advocacy challenge, and has spoken twice at an SPS Board of Education meeting to bring awareness of the program to the district. Along with two teammates, Hunter Scott and Addy Welch-Britton, Laxton advocated again for space for the Stillwater High School robotics program at the March 11 board meeting. '(In the challenge), we talked about how we have a ton of kids and no space,' Laxton said. 'And that our room does not really fit the amount of people we have.' The program is housed at Stillwater Junior High, with both SJHS and SHS teams meeting after school in SPS STEM and Computer Science Educator Rebecca Palmatary's classroom. Although Laxton and her fellow students didn't place as finalists in the challenge, she's not ready to give up advocating. Getting her team in the door at Worlds costs $1,800. 'And that's not any of the other fees like hotels,' Laxton said. Her team qualified for Worlds at the state championship, and now her goal is to raise $4,000 so the five-member team can travel all-expenses paid. A growing need There were 11 robotics teams from Stillwater High, Stillwater Junior High and Stillwater Middle School that traveled to the Oklahoma 2024-25 VEX Robotics-High Stakes MS State Championship in Muskogee on March 13-14. Stillwater students racked up multiple awards, with 8 out of 11 teams qualifying for Worlds. At SHS, every team won an award, and 4 out of 5 teams qualified for Worlds. At SJHS, 4 out of 6 teams qualified for Worlds. The competition is sponsored by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging students to get involved in science, technology, engineering, math and computer science through 'hands-on, curriculum-based robotics programs,' according to the VEX Robotics website. The competition sees more than 14,000 teams from 53 countries that play in more than 1,300 tournaments. Palmatary previously told the News Press that last year the Stillwater district had two high school teams, and this year, there are five. The SJHS team grew from five to six. As students began moving up to junior high and high school, there was no program in which they could compete. Palmatary took on the challenge. SMS has had a solid robotics program for years, but for the upper-level classes, the program is in its infancy. The junior high school program started in the 2022-23 academic year and the high school program started in the 2023-24 academic year. Space for the robotics program has become a major issue for the teams, Palmatary said. Two robotic fields stay set up all day, but with only one room to practice in – which is also her classroom space – students have to get creative by practicing in garages or living rooms. 'We have parents who have opened their homes to lots of teams so that we can get in those extra hours,' Palmatary said. Although not a perfect scenario, it's worked, for now. 'In the ideal world, we would have a robotic center, and we would host all of our middle school, our junior high and our high school together,' she said. 'That way, they could collaborate, use that vertical alignment.' Palmatary said she would love it if space could be made available at the new high school where students could program their robots or practice with adult supervision. 'Hopefully, whenever the new (high school opens), maybe there's going to end up being an open space somewhere that we can repurpose,' Palmatary said. 'But those are kind of my hopes and dreams.' Repurposed spaces has been a topic at previous school board meetings. 505 Architects Coordinator Brian Thomas, whose team is building the new high school, said some larger rooms might work for robotics spaces. It's a topic that's concerned Barbara's mother, Stacy Laxton, who has spoken multiple times at school board meetings, urging board members to consider room for robotics in the new high school. Laxton said her engineering degree has helped her in her current job as part of a supply chain. 'I still use all of my engineering skills in supply chain – it's still STEM skills,' Laxton said. 'So, whether you get an engineering degree and become an engineer or you get a skill set – I still consider myself a lot more successful than somebody who doesn't have this skill set. 'We're not asking for (attention) to be taken away from athletics or arts or any other thing, we're asking just to give robotics a fair chance. Because I'm sure we'll find some company to help us donate stuff. Give us an open space, we'll figure out how to get it done.' Palmatary said there will always be a need for engineers. 'There's always going to be a need for those problem-solving skills,' Palmatary said. 'That is a growing industry, and the more we can support that, the better off we are.' Palmatary teaches at Oklahoma State University summer STEM camps, offering classes in coding and advanced coding. Last summer, she taught a basic directional coding camp for first- and second-graders. The explosion of SPS robotics programs mirrors what's happening in the 21st century, she said. 'Think about it – when (I was) a kid, there wasn't a computer in my back pocket, but we're carrying one around today,' she said. ' … Technology is growing, so AI is growing, the robotics, the problem-solving – it's all just exploding and we can't keep up.' Stillwater High School awards – Excellence Award, 74074R Revenant – Tournament champs, 74074Y Bamboozled – Tournament Finalist, 74074X Nexus – Design Award, 74074Z Zenith – Build Award, 75075D Oasis Stillwater Junior High School awards – Tournament finalist, 74074V Oblivion – Tournament finalist, 74074A Paradox – Design Award, 74074A Paradox – Amaze Award, 74074 B Brainstorm – Inspire Award, 74074S Seismic – 'Wildcarded' for Worlds, 74074E Eclipse
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dalata for Sale? Ireland's Largest Hotel Operator Is a Window into Europe's Market
Dalata Hotel Group, Ireland's largest hotel operator, began a strategic review this month that could lead to a sale of the company, spotlighting investor appetite for European hospitality assets. This review, with guidance from Rothschild & Co, could lead to a sale. However, as of the March 6 announcement, the company wasn't in talks with potential suitors. Dalata's review comes as European hotel assets attract increasing interest from international investors seeking inflation hedges and exposure to resilient travel demand. Dalata runs 55 hotels, primarily under the Clayton and Maldron brands. A majority are in Dublin and London. Its hotel assets were valued at €1.7 billion as of December 31. While deal activity trended upward in Europe last year, Dalata has specific characteristics that will affect the interest of potential joint venture partners or acquirers. Relatively large, asset-heavy portfolio acquisitions can be complex. "About half of the transactions last year were of portfolios in the UK, but unlike Dalata, the deals were not a mix of leasehold and freehold interests,' said Adam Maclennan, partner, managing director - head of UK & Ireland at international hospitality consultancy firm PKF Hospitality Group. Dalata's portfolio includes 30 owned hotels. The group also operates 22 leased hotels, most on long-term institutional lease agreements with a weighted average lease length of 29 years and rent cover of 1.7x. It also runs a few properties via management contracts. "Having a hybrid tenure structure in one business is extremely confusing for the outside world looking in, and what it really looks like to me and to the market, I suppose, is a growth strategy rather than a real estate strategy,' said William Laxton, CEO of real estate investment manager Mactaggart Family & Partners. 'It's an awkward split," Laxton said. "The leases are inconsistent. They don't have the same expiry, the same mechanisms, or the same rent review provisions, and all of that means that a buyer is unlikely, especially at this kind of quantum, to want all of it." "It needs to be split, I would say, to realize value,' added Laxton. The European hotel asset market is currently experiencing investor interest: "2024 was a pretty good year for real estate transactions in the hotel sector in the UK and Ireland," said Maclennan. "London and Dublin had particularly strong years." Maclennan partly attributed dealmaking to the relative attractiveness of cash-flowing assets. 'North American inbound into Europe has been extremely strong, with a strong dollar and a post-Covid appetite to travel. And I think lots of these things have made hospitality very interesting again,' said Laxton. However, the market is not without its challenges. Uncertainty surrounding inflation and geopolitical events are causing some investors to exercise caution. "Geopolitical tensions are increasing uncertainty, and some recent investors are stepping back for a moment to wait and see what happens next," Maclennan said. The European hotel sector is witnessing a mix of strategic and financial investments. Portfolio transactions were notably prevalent in the UK last year, with international investors playing a significant role. 'The UK and Ireland are relative safe havens for international investors." Private equity firms are particularly active in the European market. Laxton said: "It feels like a trough on yields, and it feels like a beginning of a period of clear opportunity, rather than volatility and choppiness. And that has absolutely, in the last six to nine months, allowed the people with a track record to raise capital opportunistically." The European hotel asset market also faces several challenges. Rising labor costs, inflation, and potential economic slowdowns could impact profitability. "If you are valuing using a discounted cash flow model, the increased costs will reduce EBITDA, and values. Unless operators can increase rates or become more efficient, margins will be impacted,' said Maclennan. 'In the UK, there are some upcoming issues with business rates and labor costs increasing. National Insurance increases are coming in April and investors will look at those things and obviously adjust their valuations," said Maclennan. However, the sector's long-term outlook remains positive, supported by the fundamental strength of the wider global tourism industry. "There's still a rising middle class in many countries with more disposable income, and business travel has by and large recovered," said Robin Wattinger, partner, head of Asia and head investment & financing at PKF hospitality group. "So while individual cost items from a hotel perspective are increasing, the overall demand picture still remains positive." In fiscal year 2024, Dalata increased revenue by 7.3% year-over-year to about $703 million (€652.2 million). Its adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) climbed by 5.1% year-over-year to about $253 million (€234.5 million). However, its profit after tax decreased by €11.5 million (or by 12.7% year-over-year) to €78.7 million. The company attributed that to "increases in accounting charges from the refinancing and portfolio growth." What am I looking at? The performance of hotels and short-term rental sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets, including international and regional hotel brands, hotel REITs, hotel management companies, alternative accommodations, and timeshares. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more hotels and short-term rental financial sector performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200. Get breaking travel news and exclusive hotel, airline, and tourism research and insights at Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Triad parents concerned over proposal to abolish Department of Education
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — President Donald Trump has plans to make good on another campaign promise: abolish the Department of Education. Trump said he wants the states to run the schools, but some parents in the Triad have concerns. Parents with kids who have learning disabilities are particularly concerned. Right now, their kids learn in public schools alongside their peers, but without the Department of Education advocating, funding and holding schools accountable, they worry for their kids' future. 'There are real human impacts that are going to come,' said Laura Laxton, a Winston-Salem mom who thinks about her 17-year-old son. In Greensboro, Martha Chaires thinks of her nine-year-old. 'They are not just nameless, faceless creatures. They are human beings. They are kids on their student council. They are kids who win the kindness award. They are my child,' Chaires said. Both students are in public school with individual education plans. 'That has really helped him a lot. He has been able to really make some big breakthroughs,' Chaires said. If the Department of Education goes away and duties get divided up to other departments, it could make upholding a child's right to education more difficult to enforce. 'Right now, if a parent feels their child is not getting appropriate education or the accommodations … a parent can say hey, 'This is the federal law. I can take it up to this level,' and somebody says, 'Nope. You have to do this,'' Laxton said. Parents fear this will go back on all of their advocacy work to get their kids in classrooms with their peers. 'Human beings fear what they are unfamiliar with … By separating … our kids … they are getting denied the chance to know kids with different abilities are still people,' Laxton said. They want their kids to learn in their community. 'I love this place. I have been here my whole life. I never want to live anywhere else. I really don't want to have to move somewhere else for my kid to be able to go to school, and I am worried about that happening,' Chaires said. If the states take over, parents worry it will come down to the political agenda in that state. 'That means we would have 50 different ways of having anything interpreted, enforced, administered,' Laxton said. Since the department was established by Congress, it would require an act of Congress to shut it down. 'We call our Senators every day and our Congress people … I am hopeful that there will be enough of a reminder to keep that in place and keep those protections in place for our kids,' Chaires said. In addition to students with disabilities, the Department of Education administers funding for K-12 schools that Congress appropriates. It also helps protect students from discrimination and administers student loans and grants, including its biggest program for low-income students, the Pell Grant. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
