Teams of Robot-Building Students put STEM Skills to the test at the WiredCats Vex Robotics Competition at Neuqua Valley High School
Twenty-six teams from District 204 and District 203 as well as other schools from around the state will unite from 9AM to 4PM Sat., Jan. 11, at the Neuqua Valley High School Gold Campus for the WiredCats Vex Robotics Competition.
The action-packed tournament will features a series of back-to-back robot challenges, made possible by the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation.
This fun event is a qualifier for the Illinois State Championship in March and the National Championship, organizers said. The public is welcome to attend.
Participants will compete for the championship title by strategically executing the game Toss-Up, driving robots they designed, built and programmed from the ground up using the VEX Robotics Design System.
The Toss-Up is one of a series of VEX Robotics Competitions taking place internationally throughout the year. VEX Robotics is the world’s fastest growing competitive robotics program for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world, with more than 7,300 teams from 26 countries that participate in more than 400 VEX Robotics Competition events worldwide. The competition season culminates each Spring, with the highly-anticipated VEX Robotics Competition World Championship event, uniting top qualifying teams from local, state and international VEX Robotics Competitions.
The technological economy of the future depends on equipping today’s youth with the tools necessary to become tomorrow’s leading innovators. This tournament provides kids with an engaging hands-on learning experience that promotes a passion for science and technology – instilling in them an appreciation for the field and an enthusiasm to pursue STEM-related education and careers.
The VEX Robotics Competition is managed by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation and serves as a vehicle for students to develop critical life skills such as teamwork, leadership and project management, honed through building robots and competing with like-minded students from the community in a pulse-pounding, exciting, non-traditional environment. The VEX Robotics Design System was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide.
Tournament Agenda
7:30AM – Doors open to teams + Team Check-in + Inspection 8AM – Judges interviews begin 9AM – Drivers Meeting 9AM – Qualification Matches Begin 12PM – Lunch 12:30PM – Qualification Matches Continue 2:15PM – Alliance Selection3PM – Elimination Matches + Awards
According to Neuqua Valley High School teacher Matthew Ragusa, spectators likely will be most interested in qualification and elimination matches.
Find more information about the VEX Robotics Competition at Roboticseducation.org or at RobotEvents.com.
Neuqua Valley High School Gold Campus is located at 3220 Cedar Glade Drive off 95th Street.
About the REC Foundation
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition to operating and supporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA and BEST Robotics Competitions, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.
