WCDS Robotics Teams to Compete in World Finals

Two middle school robotics teams from Westchester Country Day School will compete in the VEX IQ Challenge World Championship in Dallas May 8-10.

The teams received an invitation to take their robots to the World competition following their top finishes at the state competition on March 5 in Concord.

"Both teams have spent countless hours after school designing, building and programming their robots for this year’s challenge,” said Terry Andrews, director of technology and robotics advisor. “Their hard work has resulted in invitations to both the state and world championships. This three-day event showcases teams from around the world and provides our students with an exciting opportunity to compete with their peers."

In Dallas, both teams will participate in the VEX IQ Middle School Division competition, where they will work together to score points in the Teamwork Matches and show off their individual skills in driver-controlled and programming Robot Skills Challenges.

Team CyPurr Cats, made up of sixth graders Max Volynets, Luke Heybrock, Quinten Stofferis and eighth grader Lukas Stofferis finished in second place in the state competition. The team also received the VEX IQ Think Award, which is given to the team that exhibits knowledge and understanding of the programming process and is able to clearly explain the programming strategy used to solve the game challenge.

Team Cosmo Cats of seventh graders Pallavi Paruchuri, Wilson Caddy and Clinton Wagoner finished in the top-10 of the state competition and held a sixth place position in the NC VEX IQ Robot Skills rankings to earn a spot in the World finals. The team also received The Amaze Award at the state level. This award is given to the team that shows a consistently high-scoring, well-built robot that performs well in all areas of the competition.

The VEX IQ Challenge, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, provides elementary and middle school students with robotics challenges to enhance their hands-on skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as critical thinking, project management, teamwork and more. With guidance from their teachers and mentors, students build a robot using snap-together VEX IQ parts to solve an engineering challenge that is presented each year in the form of a game.