On Saturday, March 10, the Clinton Prairie Elementary School VEX IQ Robotics team earned the top spot during the State Championship held at Lucas Oil Stadium. On a day that Mayor Joe Hogsett proclaimed as Indiana VEX Robotics State Championship Day, the students competed in many qualification
matches to secure a spot in the finals.
During the divisional final, the Robotic Gophers (Team 12131R) was paired with the Immanuel Warriors (Team 520N) from Seymour, IN and scored a combined 212 points. Both teams advanced to the final together and put up and impressive score to earn the Ballard Indiana Teamwork Challenge State Champion trophy and secure a spot at the World Finals. They finished first out of 150 elementary teams at the state championship. Currently there are 903 elementary teams across Indiana.
Members of the 5th grade championship team are Shelby Luper, Abbey Swan, R.J. Vantuinen, Blake Johnston, Colton Oswalt, Addison Miller, Morgen Carr, Kyndall Ward, Savannah Reagan and Connor McKibben. Jonathan Shannon is the coach.
Members of the 6th grade team which made the state finals are Jadrian Beard, Konner Boyles, Evey Brooks, Molly Cole, Alexis Ramsey and Kayla Stewart. Jessica Brovont is the coach.
The team will compete at the 2018 VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, KY from April 29 – May 1. During the event, Clinton Prairie will be paired with teams from across the United States, Puerto Rico, China, Canada, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Estonia, South Korea, India, and the United Kingdom.
During the next few weeks, the team will be finalizing plans and continuing to practice for this unique opportunity. Financial support is always welcome from families, community members, and businesses as 10 student team members and two coaches forge new paths for Clinton Prairie Elementary School and Clinton County.