Mercaz Academy Competes in CIJE VEX Robotics Tournament

Plainview's Mercaz Academy is not a newcomer to the CIJE VEX Robotics League; in fact, Mercaz fourth and fifth graders took third place in the Robotics Tournament at the elementary level last March. However, the middle school tournament seemed out of reach for Mercaz Academy, with its highest grade being sixth.

“Our school serves students from toddlers through sixth grade, but we are an elementary school rather than a middle school,” explained Lynda Last, Director of Educational Technology. “This puts our sixth graders at a competitive disadvantage at the middle school tournament, which is designed for sixth through eighth grade students. With no seventh and eighth graders on our teams, I was concerned that our sixth graders would find themselves outclassed.”

But Mercaz sixth grade students were not deterred. Eager to continue developing their robotics skills, they asked Mrs. Last to coach them to compete in the school’s first middle school tournament

“They were determined, so I registered Mercaz Academy in the Middle School Robotics League and they got right to work,” said Mrs. Last.

The seven students formed two teams and built a model of the competition rink and their team robots. The robots would be required to throw soft rubber balls through targets, with extra points for more complex moves. Over the course of many recess periods, the sixth graders tested their robots, modifying them as problems arose. When Tournament Day arrived, they were excited, energized, and ready to compete.

The Mercaz Academy teams did surprisingly well at the tournament, which attracted teams from schools as far away as Texas and Florida. In a field of 107 teams, one of the two Mercaz teams of sixth graders placed in the top third and the other Mercaz team earned a spot in the top half of the field. Encouraged, Mercaz Academy robotics team members have already started robot modifications with the intent to fare even better at the next tournament in March.