Students of the Warrior Robotics Elementary Division of Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay were honored on June 3 by the Village Council for being one of only three schools in the nation that earned two or more awards at the 2019 VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, KY, in late April. During the regular season, more than 5,000 teams from around the world competed.
WCS’s VEX IQ competitive robotic teams are made up of fourth and fifth grade students who wish to further their engineering skills. The after-school student clubs allow students to build and program their own robot and to showcase their skills at local, state and national competitions.
“We are so proud of Westminster Christian’s Warrior robotics teams for their accomplishments in the field of robotics,” said Village Mayor Karyn Cunningham. “Not only were they one of only nine schools from Miami to qualify to compete but they were the only school in Miami-Dade to win an award and the only school from Florida to earn three awards. Palmetto Bay schools have talent and we are fortunate to have this caliber of school in our village.”
Team 6855B won the Judges Award at the 2019 Vex Robotics World Championship, given to a team “that the judges determine is deserving of special recognition.” Based on their showing at the World Competition, Team 6855B has been invited to participate in the 2019 World Adolescent Robot Contest hosted by the China Association in Science and Technology in Chongqing, China in mid-August.
The members of this team include: Gaby Gonzalez, Gabi Martin, Reva Eikenberg, Kaitlyn Walker, Ilysa Hilliard, Zoe DeVarona, Sara Espitia, Gigi Artiles, Lorena Haedo, and Caroline Seagren. They are coached by Claudia Pastrana, PLTW Enrichment Teacher.
Team 6855C earned the Create Award at the 2019 Vex Robotics World Championship, which is presented to a team “whose robot design incorporates a creative engineering solution to the design challenges of the season’s game.” This team finished in first place in the state of Florida from over 1,000 teams that competed this season. They earned their World bid by winning the Excellence Award and the Teamwork Champion Award at the South Florida VEX IQ Elementary School State Championship on Mar. 3.
The members of this team include: Joey Hernandez-Solaun, Amarri Irvin, Santiago Ganley, Anthony Gonzalez, Jonah Santiesteban, Russell Briggs, RJ Linares, Daniel Fernandez, and Andrew Godoy. They are coached by Mailyn Santiesteban, fifth grade math and science teacher.
