MBE Robotics team wins Bots in the Brook
On Oct. 9, the Mountain Brook Elementary Robotics team competed in the annual Bots in the Brook tournament, a robotics competition held at Mountain Brook Junior High School.
The Bots in the Brook tournament, known as a VEX IQ Challenge, was presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, which provides elementary and middle school students with exciting, open-ended robotics and research project challenges that enhance their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills through hands-on, student-centered learning.
The VEX IQ Challenge fosters student development of the teamwork, critical thinking, project management and communication skills required to prepare them to become the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.
The MBE Robotics Team meets weekly throughout the year to build and program VEX IQ robots. In the Bots in the Brook tournament, the MBE Robotics Team competed as five individual teams made up of four students per team. The MBE team comprised of students Richmond Brown, Patrick Rais-Bahrami, James Crowe and Lucas Catenacci won the entire tournament and qualified for the state tournament.
“I enjoy robotics because it teaches me how to use technology and teaches everyone how to work as a team. I also like that there is a competitive element to robotics,” Catenacci said.
The MBE Robotics Team is open to students who apply in grades four to six and is coached by MBE teachers Sarah Richardson and Kelly Mapes.
“These students have worked diligently to bring innovative designs to life, work together as a team and compete with good sportsmanship,” Richardson. “As sponsors, we have been constantly impressed by their work ethic and commitment to their robots and teams. This was our very first competition of the season, and we were delighted to have a team qualify for state. We look forward to seeing what the rest of the season holds!”
Catenacci added, “I am very excited for the state championships because it will be competitive but also it will show the team that hard work pays off!”
Submitted by Carla Ward.