FHUSD Hosting Central Arizona VEX IQ Robotics Competition This Weekend
The Fountain Hills Middle School Robotics Club, CREATORS, is hosting the Central Arizona VEX IQ Robotics Competition Saturday at Fountain Hills High School. The event starts at 8:00 AM and will conclude by 4:30 PM. Admission is free and open to the public.
The VEX IQ Challenge is presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation and provides teams of students the opportunity to apply classroom science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in a fun and competitive context. Student teams take on the task of designing and building a robot to both collaborate and compete with other teams in a game-based engineering challenge. This year's challenge is called Ringmaster and will have two teams work together to gain the most points in moving three different colored rings from poles and the ground to poles on the opposite side of the 4' x 8' field. The teams can also earn points by using their robots to release a tray that holds 20 rings. In addition to the Ringmaster challenge, teams will also be evaluated on their STEM project, design, engineering notebooks, and individual skills. While engaging in these hands-on experiences with robotics, students are also learning and applying critical lifelong skills in teamwork, leadership, communication, and problem-solving.
The FHMS Robotics Club is coached by teachers Ivy Violette and Mary McDonald. Made up of students between grades 4 and 8, the club has 32 members plus two junior coaches. Peter Conti and Holly Brownstein are also committed volunteers who support the club. The CREATORS are made up of six teams, two of which are comprised of 6th through 8th graders and four of which are comprised of 4th and 5th graders. The 4th and 5th graders competed at a competition in Mesa in November and one of the teams, the Robot Rebels, qualified for the state championships which will be held in February in Goodyear, AZ. The Robot Rebels also qualified for an event called CREATE that will be held in Iowa in April. The two 6th-8th grade teams also have some competition experience under their belts, having competed in October at Microchip.
The FHMS Robotics Club is sponsored by the Peter and Theresa Conti Foundation, the Fountain Hills PTO, and the Vern C. Johnson Family Foundation. The coaches, students, and parents appreciate the generous support.
On behalf of coaches Ivy Violette and Mary McDonald, I extend this invitation for you to attend the Central Arizona VEX IQ Robotics Competition being held Saturday at Fountain Hills High School in the gymnasium. You'll get to see 30
teams coming from Scottsdale, Chandler, Peoria, Phoenix, Mesa, San Tan, Prescott, Maricopa, Gilbert, and Queen Creek.
Regards,
Patrick Sweeney, Ed.D.
Superintendent
