Five teams of Indian River School District students have qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas on May 3-12.
A team from Lord Baltimore Elementary School qualified by winning the Design Award at the Bots at the Beach Regional Competition on February 26 at H.O. Brittingham Elementary School in Milton. Team members were Alexander De La Rosa Lopez, Bradley Boyer and Andrei Valliant. The coach was Christina Reed.
In addition, two teams from John M. Clayton Elementary School and one from Southern Delaware School of the Arts also qualified for the World Championships based on points earned at the regional competition.
Members of the qualifying “Hot Gear” team from John M. Clayton were Torin Crotty, Asia Hall, Laila Nhan and Rory Spindler. The JMC “Banana Bots” team that also qualified consisted of Jack Owens, Brenda Pahren, Molly Parker, Ryleigh Spindler and Zachary Quillen. Both teams were coached by Jaime Swartz.
SDSA team members were Jake Garner, Alison Swartz, Alana Patterson, Angelo Zinetti and Maria Gutierrez-Carcamo. The coaches were Laura Quillen and Will Labor.
In addition, a team from Selbyville Middle School qualified for the World Championships by winning the Design Award at the Delmarva “Tipping Point” Regional Competition at Talley Middle School in Wilmington on March 12. Team members were Skylar Richards, Conner McGlone, Jeyson Moussa, Grace Kreger and Ayden Beavers. Coaches were Chelina Tingle and Jon Casto.
A team from SMS consisting of Brayden Robinson, Kaylee Stong, Ketzaly Navarrete and Maribella Dicenzo also captured the VEX Judges Award, which is presented to a team that judges determine is deserving of special recognition based on criteria such as exemplary effort and perseverance or endeavors throughout the season that may not fit under existing awards.
At the World Championships, IRSD students will join student-led teams from around the world, ranging from elementary age to university level, in showcasing their game strategy, design and teamwork skills. The competition will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas.
This marks the first time since 2019 that IRSD students will participate in the World Championships. That year, teams from Long Neck Elementary, Georgetown Elementary, Lord Baltimore Elementary and Georgetown Middle School attended the worlds. In 2020, teams from Lord Baltimore Elementary, John M. Clayton Elementary, Georgetown Elementary and Southern Delaware School of the Arts qualified for the World Championships through their performance at the SuperBot Saturday Regional Tournament at Sussex Central High School. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the world competition that year.
The World Championships were also cancelled in 2021 and IRSD students did not complete in VEX Robotics last year due to the pandemic.
The Indian River School District would like to congratulate all of these students and their coaches for the hard work and dedication required to qualify for the World Championships after not being able to compete for more than a year. We wish all of our teams the best of luck at the world competition!
Photo cover: Robotics – JMC
John M. Clayton Elementary Front row (from left): Asia Hall, Laila Nhan, Rory Spindler, and Torin Crotty. Back row (from left): Zachary Quillen, Ryleigh Spindler, Brenda Pahren, Molly Parker, Jack Owens and coach Jaime Swartz.
