ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM QUALIFIED FOR WORLD COMPETITION FOR A 2ND YEAR IN A ROW
For Immediate Release
ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM QUALIFIED FOR WORLD COMPETITION FOR A 2ND YEAR IN A ROW
PITTSBURGH (April 22, 2024)— Two robotics teams from the Environmental Charter Middle School (ECS) are going wheels up to the VEX IQ World Championship in Dallas, Texas from May 1–3 to compete against students from across the globe. Both teams won first place at the State Championship on March 6 which qualified them for this upcoming robotics competition.
“I am extremely proud of the students’ hard work and dedication to Robotics Club,” David Stehouwer, robotics teacher and advisor said. “The teams discovered sustainable and resilient ways to engineer award-winning robots.”
Digging into the nuts and bolts of the robotics world, the students take on specific roles in their teams including lead builder, programmer, driver, team support, engineering and media. Together, these eight ECS students make up the two extraordinary groups, 412E and 412P, that focus on teamwork to program and drive their robots through this year’s challenge field.
“Qualifying for this year’s competition was even more difficult as they cut the number of Middle School spaces in comparison to last year,” Stehouwer said. “This is a unique, unparalleled opportunity for our students, and I look forward to seeing their teamwork, collaboration, and problem solving skills in action on a world stage.”
The VEX Robotics World Championship is presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation and brings together the top VEX IQ Competition, VEX Robotics Competition, and VEX U teams which will represent approximately 800 teams (400 middle school teams and 400 elementary teams) from 40 countries to celebrate their accomplishments and compete.
The goal of the ECS Robotics Program is to empower students to discover how the support of computer science and engineering can solve the world’s complex problems to build an equitable and sustainable future. Students challenge their preconceptions about who computer science is for and who it benefits. They creatively use mechanisms and physical computing to develop systems that interact with their environment.
About ECS:
The Environmental Charter School is a tuition free K–12 charter school in Pittsburgh, Pa. ECS combines the academic rigor of the best public schools with a multi-disciplinary, “out-the-door” learning approach rooted in real world problems that build active, engaged and empathetic citizens. ECS Grows Citize
Photo Caption:
Environmental Charter Middle School students from teams 412E and 412P received first place at the State Championship on March 6, qualifying them for the VEX IQ World Championship in Dallas, Texas.
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