Local students to compete in robotics championship

By Amanda Redman aredman@thepaperofwabash.com

Robotics teams from four Wabash County schools are heading to the world championships and bringing with them lots of local “swag” to share with teams from around the globe.

Four qualified teams from Sharp Creek Elementary will join Northfield Jr/Sr High, O.J. Neighbours and Southwood Elementary teams at Vex World Championship in Dallas, Texas, from April 25 through May 4.

Grow Wabash County is currently collecting “swag bags” to send with the teams will provide gift bags to teams from other schools from around the world and country.

This is the second year in a row that all four teams at Sharp Creek Elementary have qualified for the world match, said Amber Bretzman, Robotics coach.

“It’s amazing. It’s such a great cultur- al experience for the students,” Bretzman said.

The Vex competition requires that competing team members work together to achieve the goal.

“It’s not like battle bots,” Bretzman explained. “They have to learn to communicate with each other. They have to drive together.”

Interviews with CEO’s and business managers from tech giants like Tesla, Google and NASA provide great experience for the teams, Bretzman said.

Preliminary interviews began earlier this month via video conferencing. If the team gets called back for a second interview, they know they are in the running for an award.

“It opens a lot of doors for them that otherwise they might not have known about,” Bretzman said.

The event also opens doors for Wabash County through the distribution of locally branded merchandise in the swag swap.

“It’s a nice way to promote your area,” Bretzman said. “It gets Wabash out there on a global scale.”

Teams competing in the Vex World Championship are as follows:

Southwood

Elementary Robotics - 5th Grade TeamTianna Simpson, Bridge Marshall, Nash Cunningham, Jace Deaton, Cale Unger, Kinley Schul and Lily Haynes.

O.J. Neighbors

Elementary - Isaac and Maverick Mattern, Finn Fairchild, Carter Atkins and Bennett Fry.

Northfield Jr/Sr High- 7th Grade

Team - Nate Hodson, Madelyn Holley, Preston Moore, Stella Stephens, Gavin Lester, and Collin Biehl

Sharp Creek Elementary Robotics-

Blue NorsebotsChase Ross, Hudson Texeira, Kaitlyn Laferney, Theodore Francis, Andrew Biehl, Ryker McKillip

Gray NorsebotsPatrick Nesler, Alexis Laferney, Adalynn Hawkens, Riddik Dietrich,

Liam King, Cheyanne �Wells, Levi Sawmiller

White NorsebotsLyla Bretzman, Mosby Stephens, Jackson

Renebarger, Jaymes Slone, Gabriel Hyden, Ridge McKillip, Charlotte Harrington

Black NorsebotsNoah Ross, Aiden Lowery, Audrey Hawkens, Amelia McKillip, Eli Roark, Zaidyn Jones

Donations for the swag bags will be accepted through Thursday, April 20, at 214 S. Wabash St., Wabash.

Suggested items include stickers, keychains, T-shirts, hats, pens, pencils, notepads, water bottles, logoed toys such as frisbees, foam footballs, and so forth. The schools are requesting that at least 120 of the selected swag be donated to make sure everyone gets a full bag.