Brainstorming, creativity and teamwork are some of the tactics that led a group of King George County high-schoolers to the top. “We overcame it together,” student Ayla Zook said of the last-minute coding issues that threatened to deter the team’s win at this month’s High School Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren.
More than 100 students from public and private schools, from Stafford to the Northern Neck, turned out for the third annual robotics-style competition at the University of Mary Washington’s Dahlgren Campus on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2. The winning team from King George walked away with a cash prize of $3,500, a giant trophy and bragging rights … at least until next year’s event.
Westmoreland High School took second place, winning $2,500, and Fredericksburg Christian School came in third, claiming $1,500. The teams battled it out in lightning rounds, completing an “ENRG” mission that required them to engage by assembling robots to navigate challenging terrain on a quest to recover critical hardware while gathering intel and maintaining mission awareness. In addition to cash, winners took home robotics kits for their schools.
UMW Provost Timothy O’Donnell challenged the groups to encourage each other, step back from the stress and have fun, while also keeping the goal of the competition in mind: to encourage and foster STEM learning in Virginia’s fastest growing region.
“This is a really critical region in our nation and in our state. The work you’re doing today contributes to that,” O’Donnell said of the challenge, hosted by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), Fredericksburg Regional Military Affairs Council, MITRE Corporation, King George Economic Development Authority and UMW. “You’re training the mind, you’re harnessing talents, you’re bringing together your skills to solve really complex problems. And that’s what this country needs going forward.” Read more.