April 17, 2023
700+ participants and a 40% growth
The challenges sound like they might be found in a hockey rink or a city park: “slide pucks into goals” and “toss frisbees into targets.” But there is no ice or grassy field here. And participants can’t directly touch the pucks or frisbees. They have to build robots to do it for them!
More than 700 City Schools students on more than 140 teams from 70-plus schools are participating in a robotics program this year - a near 40% increase over last year. And in this year’s Maryland State Robotics Championships, 46 teams were from City Schools!
Passionate teams of students meet at least twice a week, with many choosing to meet more often - even before school! Through their participation, students are reinforcing classroom lessons in math, engineering and science as well as teamwork and problem-solving skills with hands-on experimentation and robot building.
The robots that students have been building simulate sports-related tasks - scoring a hockey goal or tossing a frisbee. They’re made of metal, plastic, wheels and gadgets - and they’re moving, expanding, and tossing their way to championships in the VEX IQ and VRC robotics programs!
Take a look at some of students’ amazing achievements in robotics this year:
Arlington Elementary leads the way: Three teams of students at Arlington finished in the top four at the Maryland VEX IQ Robotics State Championships, with two of the Arlington teams winning the state championship! All three teams earned a trip to the World Championships in May in Dallas, TX. The teams also received eight trophies for supplementary honors, including innovative designs and consistently high performing robots.
Baltimore International Academy wins: Four teams from BIA are headed to the Elementary and Middle School World Championships after winning many awards for their robots, including the VEX IQ Middle School State Championship!
Commodore John Rodgers is heading for Worlds: Nine teams from CJR competed at states this year; with 6 teams earning spots at the World Championships in Dallas. The teams at CJR were also recognized for their skills in operating the robots as well as exhibiting great sportsmanship.
Cross Country Elementary/Middle snags a win: The robotics team at Cross Country proved that they are more than able to thrive in the more complicated, metal-based VRC robotics competition - they earned a trip to the 2023 CREATE US Open in Iowa in addition to their 2 VEX IQ teams going to the World Championships in Dallas!
This success in robotics extends beyond titles and trophies. Students from schools including Medfield Heights Elementary, Furman Templeton Preparatory Academy, and Harlem Park Elementary/Middle earned recognition for sportsmanship, perseverance, strong presentation skills, and more at the state championships. In total, City Schools teams earned 19 statewide awards in robotics!
To learn more about robotics in City Schools, reach out to robotics@bcps.k12.md.us