Our Robotics teams achieved an exceptional set of results at the Shore VEX IQ Robotics Competition Invitational this week, in a tournament that challenges students to design, build and program their own robots, before putting them to the test in a series of fast-paced tasks.
Congratulations to students Louis, Henry, Aaron, Roy, Keane, Theodore, Max, Felix, Cynthia, Lucas, Krivi, Noah, Lachlan, Niamh, Oscar, Archie, Drisana, Adwitiya, Tia, Jasmine, Edith, Lily, Ashmann, Benjamin, Fionn and Finn, who each contributed and represented our School with skill, enthusiasm and a strong spirit of collaboration.
During the tournament, students drove or coded their robots to collect coloured bean bags and place them in designated goals, with different colours and goals carrying different point values. With multiple divisions running throughout the day, our students demonstrated their versatility across both the teamwork and individual skills events.
In the Teams Challenge Division, where teams are randomly paired and work together to achieve a collective score, our four teams finished first, second, third and fourth.
The results were equally impressive in the Individual Skills Division, which combines driver-controlled and autonomous coding rounds. Our teams placed first, second, fifth and seventh, highlighting the strength and consistency of their technical abilities.
Overall, our teams claimed six of the 10 awards available at the tournament, recognising both the academic excellence and good character they demonstrated throughout.
Just some of these awards included the Teamwork Champion Award, Robot Skills Champion Award, Think Award, Build Award, and the Judges Award – a discretionary commendation presented to a team that demonstrates qualities deserving of recognition, such as sportsmanship, effort and positive conduct.
Incredibly, one of our teams – ‘Captain & Co’, made up of Max, Felix, Cynthia, Lucas, Krivi, Noah and Lachlan – is also currently ranked seventh in Australia and 56th in the world in the Individual Skills rankings, which is a huge achievement in such a highly competitive field.
Behind these exceptional tournament results is the dedication and support of teachers like Mr Peter Ison and Ms Isabella Mellish, who expertly guide our students through the process of designing, testing, adapting and trying again.
“What stood out most to me wasn’t just how well our students performed; it was how they problem-solved under pressure and backed each other up as a team.
“That’s exactly the combination of skill and character this Program is built to develop, and it’s a great reminder of just how important STEM and robotics offerings are for our students,” Ms Mellish said.
At Central Coast Grammar School, our STEM Co-Curricular Program gives students the chance to move beyond theory and apply their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to real-world challenges, which reflects the increasing importance of STEM pathways in higher education and future careers.
Here, students are challenged to think critically when a design doesn’t work as expected, use evidence to refine their approach, and communicate effectively as they work towards a shared goal.
When you combine great ideas with curiosity and persistence, there really is no limit to where STEM can take you, and we again congratulate our Robotics team on this outstanding achievement.