Reeds Spring Schools sent three teams to Dallas, Texas to compete in the VEX IQ World Championship.

Students build robots using simple, snap-together parts to solve an engineering challenge that is presented in the form of a game. Teams score points in matches and show off their skills individually in driver challenges and programming challenges.

One team consisted of Reeds Spring Intermediate School students and two teams consisted of Reeds Spring Middle School students. The RSIS participants were Asher Williams, Ethan McKinney, Taylor Lanham, and Will Carpenter. The RSMS participants were Bobby Brand, Peyton Ditzer, August Behn, Baya Clifford, Brayden Higginbottom, Jaiden Braica, Brittney Nordin, and Bailey Zittleman.

“I am so proud of these students for their ability to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to building and programming a robot,” said Middle School Coach Robin Verheyen. “We were paired with champions from China, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan. Not many students get the opportunity to compete and collaborate with kids from countries all over the world.”

In Dallas, the Intermediate School team set two personal records in skills and finished in the top third of teams in its category.

 “The students demonstrated confidence, perseverance, and poise all week,” said Intermediate School Coach Keith Kramer. “They are willing to work, they listen, and they are excited.”

The VEX IQ Competition fosters the development of teamwork, critical thinking, project management, and communication skills that prepare students to become the next generation of innovators and problem solvers. There are more than 23,000 VEX teams from 58 countries.