Washington Middle Schools Vex Robotics Team “take Vex to the next level”
Washington Middle Schools Vex Robotics Team “take Vex to the next level”
Only one year ago Calumet High School’s JROTC program”led by Major Michael Farley and First Sergeant Mark Powell”had extra Vex Robotics kits available, they wanted to provide an opportunity for middle schoolers to get involved with robotics. Working alongside Cara Wightman, middle school robotics and high school chemistry teacher, the group developed a plan to create a middle school robotics class within the Encore program (students take one class for nine weeks then switch to another). Mrs. Wightman creates 5-6 different “missions” for each Encore that inspires the students to explore and learn about robotics.
Getting middle schoolers involved with robotics motivates them to persevere through challenges and improve their skills until they get their desired result. “There are a lot of times where they have to keep re-doing a code until it does exactly what they want it to,” said Wightman. “These students have persistence and know that they can push through until they get it right. When they have an idea in their mind, and they are able to recreate that with their robot, it builds a competence in doing what they set out for themselves to be successful.”
This motivation and perseverance has led to a competitive Vex Robotics team, Team Viper 2586C. The team is coached by Cara Wightman and consists of members Evelyn Robb, Caleb Ely, Emma Ylitalo, and Zoe Robinson. Here is a summary of their first competitive season from Coach Wightman.
“We started our season at the beginning of October with evaluating the game and planning our robot. We didn’t think that we were experienced enough to build a shooting bot, so we played it safe and made a bot that picked up discs to move them.
Our first competition (Dec 17- Rice Lake, WI) was a HS/MS mixed competition. We were one of two middle school teams at the competition, but you sure couldn’t tell. Our team held their own and fit right in. We began to take notes on how we could improve our design and began planning while we were at the competition. After our first competition we felt the bot could be upgraded and welcomed the challenge of adding a shooter. This changed our robot design dramatically. The redesign was worth it as it gave us a real chance to be competitive and show our skills.
By our second competition (Jan 28- Traverse City) we were able to change the bot completely but didn’t get to practice much. The competition was a lot of fun and motivated us to practice for our last competition.
By our third competition we were able to upgrade the design a bit more and really hone in on our strengths. We were able to practice driving and dial in our autonomous portion of the competition. At the competition we were undefeated and went into the alliance selection process in first place. We were flabbergasted; we never expected that our practice and changes to the bot would allow us to be in such a high position. We chose the alliance we felt would be best to work with and they didn’t disappoint. Together we made our mark all the way to the final match of the day where we were able to score almost double our opponent (144-83). We took home the tournament championship trophy.”
The strong finish in Appleton, WI qualified the team for the Michigan State Championship in Monroe, WI the weekend of March 3rd. The team performed amazingly and advanced all of the way to the quarterfinal match. Congratulations Team Viper 2586C!
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