Local students flex their VEX muscles this weekend

NEWS RELEASE
ALGOMA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
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Sixteen high school robotics teams will unite on Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Sault College Health and Wellness Centre for the 2018-2019 VEX Robotics Competition, Turning Point. The 6th annual competition will see teams from Blind River, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and Wawa compete against each other in a series of back-to-back robotics challenges, vying for various awards and an invitation to the Ontario Provincial Championships. Participants will compete for championship titles by driving robots they designed, built and programmed using the VEX EDR platform. VEX Turning Point challenges participants to stack caps on posts, flip caps, stack balls on caps, toggle flags by throwing balls, and park robots in an effort to out-score opponents.

“For many students, this is a launch pad towards a future STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) career,” says Jonathon Budau, an 18-year mentor of local robotics teams. “When team members get a chance to try designing or building or programming, and then add the exciting and fun nature of the experience, they learn that STEM is exciting and is something that they can be good at. Many of our program alumni have gone on to STEM careers and credit their robotics experiences as being the spark that got them started in that direction.”

This regional qualifying completion is one of a series across the province providing teams with the opportunity to earn an invitation to the Ontario Provencal Championships, where they compete for a spot at the VEX World Championships, the largest robotics competition in the world. Over 20,000 teams are competing worldwide, all while developing critical life skills such as teamwork, leadership and project management.

This event has been graciously supported by Tenaris AlgomaTubes, the Algoma District School Board, the Professional Engineers Ontario – Algoma Chapter, the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists – Algoma Chapter, the Sault Ste Marie Airport Development Corporation and Sylvan Automation. As well, volunteers from Sault College, ADSB, and professionals from the local engineering and technology communities have provided countless hours of their time to ensure this amazing event can happen.

If you or your child is interested in becoming involved with the local VEX Robotics program, speak with your school principal or contact Mark Carlucci at [email protected].

About ADSB VEX Robotics

ADSB VEX Robotics promotes robotics programming across Algoma. Over the past six years, ADSB VEX Robotics has held annual elementary and secondary robotics competitions, supporting over 50 school-based teams. Along with competitions, ADSB VEX Robotics has promoted robotics and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education across the district through various community initiatives.

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