SDA Students Gear Up for Robotics Showcase

If you drop by the Sunday afternoon, you can checkout a few robots made by some of our city’s youngest and brightest budding minds. 

Team Paradox from the is partnering with Team Shockwave from the Graurer School to host the robotics showcase, which is tailored to youth and the first of its kind in Encinitas.

“Community outreach is really important to us,” said Victoria Ly, an SDA junior and co-president of Team Paradox. “We want to teach local children about robotics, science, and math — and hopefully get more people in the community interested in what we’re doing.” 

Keeping in that vein, Team Paradox has also mentored local elementary school teams, including a couple at Ocean Knoll. That outreach effort falls inline with the overarching mission of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), an organization that aims to engage youth in mentor-based programs. 

Team Paradox recently put the finishing touches on a robot for the Rebound Rumble, a FIRST competition in which robots face off and play a game similar to basketball. SDA students spent six weeks building a robot that shoots out a basketball similar to the way a pitching machine shoots out a baseball. Early next month, their robot will be put to the test during regional competitions. 

If you stop by the Encinitas Library this Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., you can see some of the team’s robots from past years, learn more about its ongoing efforts, and find out how you can lend support. 

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