TEMPLE, Texas — Two Temple Independent School District robotics teams will have the opportunity to compete with the best in the state later this week after qualifying for the BEST Robotics State Competition. Temple High School’s Wildcat Workforce robotics team and Travis Science Academy’s Lunar Mustangs robotics team both earned spots in the state competition with their performances at a meet hosted by Temple ISD on November 23.
The teams had to design and build their robots over a six-week span prior to the competition and were then judged on a variety of factors during the competition itself. The teams had to drive their robots through an obstacle course and complete a variety of tasks to earn points. But the robot’s performance in the obstacle course competition was only one of the components that contributed to each team’s score. The teams also had to produce an engineering notebook documenting the design and construction of the robot, create a marketing presentation, and complete a team exhibit and interviews with the judges. Teams could also get points for spirit and sportsmanship.
Temple High School’s Wildcat Workforce team not only earned a spot in the state competition, but also won the Most Robust Robot award during the competition. This is the first time the team has competed in this competition and, after completing 22 rounds of competition in Saturday’s meet, was pleasantly surprised to hear their names called as state qualifiers.
“I’m kind of surprised that we qualified because none of us had really done this before,” said THS junior Andres Gomez, who was a driver, spotter, and programmer for the team. “It has been very busy and stressful because we were in a time crunch. It takes a lot of math and a lot of expertise because it is hard to build a robot from scratch.”
“I didn’t think we were going to make it to state, but we did. It has been surreal, cool, and fun,” added THS senior Zechariah Harris, a driver and spotter for the team. “I hope they are going to get a chance to go back and compete again next year and that we have kind of laid the foundation.”
Christian Mendez is a teacher in the Temple High School Career and Technical Education department and sponsors the Wildcat Workforce robotics team. He is excited for the team’s success and hopes that the students are learning lessons that will go beyond the competition.
“To actually see this go from pieces of wood to the project it is now is amazing because none of us have really done anything like this before,” Mendez said. “I am super proud of them; they are good kids and really want to learn. It is good to see them really put their minds to something and to see that hard work pay off. With hard work and dedication, anything is possible.”
The Travis Science Academy Lunar Mustangs were the only middle school team to qualify for state from the competition, beating out four high school teams to advance. They won the BEST Award for the team that best embodied the concept of Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology through several different criteria. The Lunar Mustangs also won the Best Engineering Drawings Award during the competition. The TSA robotics team is in its second year of existence but had not competed against other schools before this year. Robotics teacher and team coach Maribeth Brown says the experience is all about creating opportunities for the students.
“We provided this opportunity for kids who might not be involved in something else to give them a chance to really shine,” Brown said. “They are learning problem-solving, collaboration, communication, all of those things they are going to need in high school, college, and whatever job they have. We just wanted them to enjoy it, and going to state is so exciting on top of all of that.”
For the students, the chance to compete at the state level is exciting, and maybe a little unexpected. But they are also learning things about themselves through the process.
“This has really helped me find what I am passionate about and what I like to do,” said Janiyah Green, an eighth grader at Travis Science Academy. “Taking this class and being on this team has helped motivate me to become an engineer, probably in civil engineering. It is also really cool to qualify for state, especially beating out some high schools.”
“We were a little surprised to make it to state because this is such a new experience,” added Anna Beth Brown, a TSA eighth grader. “I really like the hands-on experience and I have learned so much through this. I want to do something I am passionate about that relates to this field and being part of this team has helped me realize that.”
Brianna Hubnik, the coordinator of CTE for Temple ISD, helped organize and oversee the competition. She was not only impressed with the quality of the students worked and happy to see them qualify for state, but she is also excited about what the robotics program’s early success means for the future.
“The kids really had to make some adjustments as they were going along and overcome some things during the competition,” Hubnik said. “Seeing their reaction when they got their robot back to the platform at the end made it all worth it. Then, to see them talk about putting this on their college application and in their essays about what they have done in this program is really exceptional. Watching the middle school kids get really excited and knowing that those kids are going to continue in the program is just going to keep getting better and better.”
The BEST Robotics State Competition will be held December 4-7 in Dallas.