Dorris Intermediate School students Giavanna Cruz, Adam Doebber and James Metcalf competed in the Illinois VEX Robotics State Championship.
A string of unfortunate incidents caused the team to slip in standings and end up on an alliance team that placed 6th out of 8. However, the DIS team’s fighting spirit earned them the Judge’s Award for overall good sportsmanship, overcoming adversity with a good attitude and good conduct.
The intermediate school team is associated with the Collinsville High School program. According to Cynthia Bednara, robotics and engineering instructor at CHS, “The high school VEX Robotics Teams noticed a lack of young teams at last year’s state championships and decided to mentor students from DIS and CMS. The students meet at the high school weekly to work on their robot along side the high school students and then attend competitions throughout the school year to try to earn a spot at the state championships in Chicago.”
Next season will start in August. Parents and students who would like to know more should contact Cindy Bednara at [email protected] for information.
VEX Robotics Competitions, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, is the ultimate STEM activity for middle school and high school students (ages 11-18).
An engineering challenge is presented in the form of a game. Students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors, use the VEX Robotics Design System to build innovative robots designed to score the most points possible in qualification matches, elimination matches and Skills Challenges.
In addition to having a great time and building amazing robots, through their participation in the VEX Robotics Competition and their work within their team, students learn many academic and life skills.