Springfield High School Robotic Team Qualifies for World Championship Competition
Springfield High School Robotic Team Qualifies for World Championship Competition
SPRINGFIELD, La. – The Springfield High School “Bulldog Bytes” robotics team recently finished as the runner-up in the Louisiana State Championship Robotics Team competition, earning a spot in the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas, in April.
The team consisted of 23 students, ranging from grades 6 to 12, who utilized computer science and engineering skills to program and operate robots to perform a range of timed tasks. They competed against student teams from other schools across the state.
“Our goal at the beginning of the year was to qualify a team to compete in the state tournament; so to have made that tournament and qualify for the Worlds is a dream come true,” Springfield High School STEM Club Sponsor and Robotics Team Coach Yvette Hill said.
“In addition to learning valuable engineering skills, our students have gained life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, communication, collaboration, project management, and critical thinking while participating in this competition,” Hill said.
She noted that some of her older students plan to pursue careers in engineering and aerospace engineering.
Hill teaches high school chemistry, physics and robotics, and she serves as a dual elective instructor for Southeastern Louisiana University in the subject of chemistry and for the Northshore Technical Community College in the subject of math.
The VEX Robotics Competition High School Event is scheduled for April 25-27 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.
Teams will compete in the 2022-2023 game, Spin Up, which is played on a 12’x12’ square field. There are two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams each that compete in matches consisting of a 15-second autonomous period, followed by a one-minute and forty-five second driver controlled period. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by scoring discs in goals, owning rollers, and covering field tiles at the end of the match.
The presenting sponsor for the Word Championship is the Northrop Grumman Foundation.
“At the World Championship, there will be teams from all around the globe. Columbia, China, Kazakhstan and Finland are just four countries with teams that have already qualified to compete,” Hill said. “The competition will allow students from our small town to meet people and learn about cultures from around the world.”
Springfield High School Robotics Team Coach Yvette Hill talks to her team before their quarterfinal match in the Louisiana State Championship Robotics Team Tournament.
SHS Robotics Team member Ryan Alexander checks the controls of the robot as Steven Antisan and Benjamin Alexander observe, waiting for their next match.