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ACSL American Computer Science League Newsletter #3 March 2009 |
CONTEST
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ACSL WEB SITE
The scores for Contest #3 for both teams and individuals are posted on our web site www.acsl.org. . If you note a missing score, an incorrect score or a misspelled name, please contact ACSL at info@acsl.org and we will make the corrections.
APPEALS
There were no valid appeals in any of the divisions for Contest #3
STUDENT
PROGRAMS
Students, their parents and advisors like to see their student's programs posted to our web site. To insure that a program has a chance for selection, prior to submitting the code for those students who scored a 10, please insure that the following information is in the heading of the code:
· The student’s name
· The school name
· The student’s division
SCORESHEETS
Please use the ACSL scoresheet when submitting scores. Send it as an attached .doc file and not pasted into the body of the e-mail message. The uniformity of score sheets decreases the number of entry errors. Also, Starting with Contest #2 you need to record cumulative scores for both team scores and individual student scores on all scoresheets. The cumulative score acts as a double check that scores have been recorded accurately. Remember that scoresheets are sent to scores@acsl.org.
ALL-STAR
CONTEST
The site of the 2009 ACSL Invitational All-Star Contest is Bob Jones High School, Madison Alabama. The school, with a student count of 2,200, is just southwest of Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville is home to the US Space and Rocket Center, Space Camp and NASA. The University of Alabama Huntsville is also close to the school. The host school advisor, Jennifer Roundtree ( jsrountree@madisoncity.k12.al.us) is in the process of arranging for all All-star attendees, who request it, to stay in campus housing at the University of Alabama at a cost of about $20 per person per night. Teams that do not want to use the campus housing can book their own hotel reservations at any of the many hotels in the area.
The school is a 15 minute drive from the Huntsville Airport (HSV) and a 30 minute drive from the university. There will also be bus transportation from the university to the school. More details and contact information will be published as they become available.
The contest date is Saturday, May 23, 2009.
For the past 15
years ACSL has used the same travel agent to find the best group rates at
hotels close to our Al-Star Contest sites. Elana Glinert has done an excellent
job of getting ACSL the best prices available. The staff that runs ACSL has
used Elana for personal travel also. If you are in need of a travel agent
to assist in any of your All-star Contest plans, we highly recommend her services.
Elana can be contacted by e-mail:
travelbyelana@hotmail.com
ALL-STAR
CONTEST COMPUTERS
The agreement with
only allows for a limited number of computers. The vast majority of those will go to the teams
coming from Europe. Teams should plan
to supply their own computers this year.
Please start planning now to insure that your invited teams will have
computers.
GEOGRAPHIC
REGIONS
ACSL has grouped
the teams in the various divisions into geographic regions. The purpose of the regions is to create more
places where ACSL can award prizes. The
highest scoring team in each region will be awarded a plaque. The highest scoring
What’s for lunch?
It will be pizza. On the survey they will have a choice of cheese, sausage, or pepperoni. Also on the menu is a soft drink, fruit and a pastry.
Who will the schools contact for the dorms and meals?
They can contact the host school advisor for the dorm rooms. The cost is $18.80 per person that includes fresh linens and towels daily. Except for the meal at the school, we will not be providing any meals, but the University Center across from the dorm provides a very good all-you-can-eat meal for one price: Breakfast - $5.60, lunch - $6.60, dinner - $7.60. These were the prices the last time that we checked which was about a month ago.
How do you plan to receive requests for computers?
Through the online survey
What airport would be best for teams?
Huntsville International Airport
Is there transportation available from the airport to the college?
No, but it is only about 10 miles to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) from the airport, almost all interstate.
How do they register for transportation from the college to the school?
Use the online survey. We can provide transportation to our school and back on Friday from 5pm to 7pm and also both ways on Saturday starting at 7am. The cost is $2 for transportation on Friday, $3 for Saturday, $5 for both days per person.
Also, UAH is planning to provide a game night at the University Center on Friday night from 6 to 9pm. It is free and includes drinks and pizza. I have included a couple of questions on the survey to see how many would want to participate.
What can we do in the Huntsville area?
We have several places around Huntsville and Madison that kids might like to go to. Bridge Street is our latest shopping area and is very popular. It has about 100 stores, restaurants, and a movie theater. The Space and Rocket Center is another popular tourist attraction. If anyone is interested in history, we have Constitution Village in downtown Huntsville which provides a look at life in the 1800’s. Within a block of Constitution Village is the Huntsville Museum of Art. I don’t know if they will have any special exhibits at that time, though. Nature lovers might like to go to Montesano State Park (about 10 miles outside of Huntsville). It has many hiking trails. We also have a minor league baseball team in Huntsville. They should have several home games that week. If you travel south of Madison about 20 miles, there is a town called Decatur. They have a wave pool and water park.