School of the Ozarks qualifies for Missouri VEX High School State Championships

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — The School of the Ozarks Robotics Club has recently qualified to compete in the Missouri VEX High School State Championships. VEX is a robotics program for elementary through university level students, hosting multiple large-scale competitions throughout the year. The competitions hosted by VEX are attended by thousands of students, on a regional, state, and national scale. The State Championships will be held on March 11, in Jefferson City.

While the competitions hosted by VEX robotics encourage creativity and teamwork among participants, the competitions also give School of the Ozarks robotics club members a chance to show off their latest machines.

“I really enjoy going to the meets and seeing our creations perform the tasks we created them to do,” said Caleb Martin, an 11^th grade School of the Ozarks student and robotics club member. “I also really enjoy getting to talk to others about their robots and learn new concepts from other teams.”

“I honestly could not be more proud of the robotics team,” said Brian Polk, coach of the robotics club. “From the beginning, I saw this as something for the students and have given them room to sink or swim. To see them swim all the way to the state competition is extremely gratifying and a testament to their curiosity, creativity, and hard work.”

The School of the Ozarks Robotics Club was formed in the Fall of 2022, with the intention of allowing students in 9-12 grades to design, build, and test robots. Robotics Club students meet twice a week in the College of the Ozarks Dee Ann White Engineering Center to discuss club events, work on current robot projects, and prepare for upcoming competitions.