Ayla Zook (fourth from left, sitting) works with her teammates at UMW’s Dahlgren Campus during the third annual High School Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren. The team, from King George County High School, took top prize, claiming $3,500 for STEM learning at their school. Photo by Dave Ellis.
Brainstorming, creativity and teamwork are some of the tactics that led a group of King George County high-schoolers to the top. “We overcame it together,” student Ayla Zook said of the last-minute coding issues that threatened to deter the team’s win at this month’s High School Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren.
More than 100 students from public and private schools, from Stafford to the Northern Neck, turned out for the third annual robotics-style competition at the University of Mary Washington’s Dahlgren Campus on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2. The winning team from King George walked away with a cash prize of $3,500, a giant trophy and bragging rights … at least until next year’s event.
Westmoreland High School took second place, winning $2,500, and Fredericksburg Christian School came in third, claiming $1,500. The teams battled it out in lightning rounds, completing an “ENRG” mission that required them to engage by assembling robots to navigate challenging terrain on a quest to recover critical hardware while gathering intel and maintaining mission awareness. In addition to cash, winners took home robotics kits for their schools. Read more.