More than 100 elementary and middle school VEX IQ Challenge students and mentors from around Central and Southeast Georgia will unite at Ware County Middle School on February 2nd for the VEX IQ Challenge. The action-packed event will feature more than 15 teams who will collaborate with other schools in a series of back-to-back robot challenges, made possible by Okefenokee RESA, local industry donations, and personal contributions. The tournament is free to the public and begins with the opening ceremony at 8:30 AM. Competitors will strive to succeed by strategically executing the game with robots they designed, built, programmed, and tested for driver’s skills or to collect hub points.
The REC Foundation VEX IQ Competitions represents one of the two robotic programs utilized in the Ware County District. Both programs allow students 8 to 14 years of age to learn about computer programming, the Engineering Design Process, and critical thinking skills through hands-on application in a student-centered learning format. Collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking are the soft skills encouraged within the STEM instructional strategy to prepare students for the demands of the 21st century job market.
There are more than 20,000 VEX Competition teams from over 45 countries that participate in over 1,500 events worldwide. The competition season culminates each spring with the VEX Robotics World Championship, a highly-anticipated event that unites top qualifying teams from local, state, regional, and international VEX IQ Challenge events, all with the goal of securing the title of World Champions. Last year, two teams represented the Ware County District at the World’s tournament held in Louisville, Kentucky - two from Wacona Elementary School and one from Ware County Middle School. The coaches for the Vex IQ programs this 2018-2019 season include Melissa Lee at Ware County Middle School and Mindy Pearson and Lacey Gruver at Wacona Elementary.
More information about the VEX IQ Challenge is available at RoboticsEducation.org or at RobotEvents.com.
Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. Its goal is to provide these programs with services, solutions, and a community that allows them to flourish in a way that fosters the technical and interpersonal skills necessary for students to succeed in the 21st Century. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry, and the non-profit community to achieve this work so that one day these programs will become accessible to all students and all schools in all communities.