South Florida’s Young Innovators Gear Up For Robotics Competition

PRLog (Press Release) - Nov. 16, 2011 - More than 200 leading middle and high school VEX Robotics students and mentors from around South Florida will compete against each other in a series of back-to-back robot challenges at Gulliver Schools’ Preparatory campus on Sunday, December 4, 2011, for the VEX South Florida Championship.

The action-packed South Florida tournament at Gulliver Prep will feature more than 35 teams from more than a dozen regional schools. The teams will compete for the championship title by strategically executing the game “Vex Gateway,” driving robots they designed, built and programmed from the ground up using the VEX Robotics Design System.
 
The championship is part of the VEX Robotics Competition Series, which is the largest and fastest growing middle and high school robotics program globally with more than 4,000 teams from 20 countries playing in more than 250 VEX Robotics tournaments worldwide.

The competition season culminates each Spring, with the highly-anticipated VEX Robotics World Championship event, uniting top qualifying teams from local, state and international VEX Robotics Competitions.  

“The technological economy of the future depends on equipping today’s youth with the tools necessary to become tomorrow’s leading innovators,” said Michael Gambrell, Robotics Instructor at Gulliver Preparatory.  “This tournament provides kids with an engaging hands-on learning experience that promotes a passion for science and technology – instilling in them an appreciation for the field and an enthusiasm to pursue STEM-related education and careers.”

PARTIAL LIST OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
•   Archimedean Conservatory - Miami
•   Belen Jesuit Preparatory School - Miami
•   Carrollton School - Miami, Florida
•   Christopher Columbus High School - Miami
•   Coral Gables High School - Coral Gables
•   Donna Klein Jewish Academy - Boca Raton
•   Gulliver Preparatory - Miami
•   Immaculate Conception School - Hialeah
•   Mariner High School - Cape Coral
•   MAST Academy - Miami
•   Miami Coral Park Senior High - Miami
•   Miami Northwestern High School - Miami
•   Palm Bay High School - Melbourne
•   Ransom Everglades Middle School - Miami
•   Seminole Ridge Community High School - Loxahatchee
•   St. Thomas the Apostle - Miami
•   TERRA Environmental research Institute - Miami
•   University School of Nova Southeastern University - Fort Lauderdale

The VEX Robotics Competition serves as a vehicle for students to develop critical life skills such as teamwork, leadership and project management, honed through building robots and competing with like-minded students from the community in a pulse-pounding, exciting, non-traditional environment.  The VEX Robotics Design System was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide.  

More information about VEX Robotics Competitions, please visit www.vexrobotics.com and www.robotevents.com.  

About Gulliver Schools
Gulliver Schools is a 501(c) (3) private, not-for-profit, independent, coeducational, nonsectarian day school with the mission of providing a superior college-preparatory education and ensuring an outstanding dynamic learning environment which recognizes and nurtures the unique talents and gifts of each student.