The VEX IQ State Qualifier Tournament held Saturday, January 12 at Jay M Robinson High School spotlighted an exciting partnership between the Corning Foundation and the Cabarrus County VEX Program. Manufacturing Engineer with Corning Incorporated, Mr. Clay White, was on site to present a grant award to the CCS VEX program in the amount of $14,100. 

These grant funds will be used to purchase a 16 x 7 Utility trailer and fill it with all the necessary equipment needed to execute the many VEX IQ and VRC events being held in Cabarrus County during the VEX Competition season.  As the number of teams throughout the district continues to increase, there will be a greater need for more events that these students and their robots can compete in.  The Corning Foundation Grant will help make that happen.

The VEX IQ Challenge provides elementary and middle school students (ages 8-14) with exciting, open-ended robotics engineering and research project challenges that enhance their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills through hands-on, student-centered learning.

The VEX Robotics Competition is the ultimate STEM activity for Elementary, Middle School and High School students (ages 6-18). With guidance from their teachers and mentors, students design, build, and program robots in teams to compete in an annual engineering challenge presented in the form of a game. Students are paired up in two-team alliances to compete in a series of matches and each team also competes in individual driver-controlled and autonomous Skills Challenges.  By competing year-round, students gain valuable life skills in addition to learning engineering and design principals.  Teamwork, perseverance and dedication are all at the heart of the VEX Robotics Competition, while the competitive atmosphere drives students to challenge themselves as they seek to engineer the perfect robot!