HAWAII STUDENTS TO COMPETE FOR GLOBAL HONORS--Twenty-four Hawaii teams travel to Florida for robotics competition 

WHAT: VEX Robotics World Championships

Hawaii’s VEX Robotics students will join more than 570 robotics teams representing 14 different nations to compete for the World Championship.

The VEX Robotics World Championship is a gathering of top robotics teams from around the world. For two days at Walt Disney World the teams will celebrate their accomplishments and compete with/against the "best of the best."

The Championship includes top teams from over 200 VEX Robotics Competition tournaments that took place in cities around the world, nine of which were hosted in Hawaii.

Teams will compete with the game Round Up which is played on a 12’x12’ square field.  Two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a twenty-second autonomous period followed by two minutes of driver-controlled play.

The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent alliance by scoring tubes upon goalposts, owning goalposts and by low hanging or high hanging from the ladder. A bonus is awarded to the alliance that has the most total points at the end of the Autonomous Period. 

WHO: 24 teams of students representing 21 schools from the Big Island, Maui and Oahu, including:

• Farrington High School
• Hawaii Baptist Academy
• Highlands Intermediate School
• Honoka‘a High School
• Iao Middle School
• Iolani School
• Kaiser High School
• Kalani High School
• Kealakehe High School
• Kohala High School
• Maui Waena Intermediate School
• Mililani High School (2 teams)
• Moanalua High School
• Nanakuli High School
• Paauilo Intermediate School
• Punahou School
• Radford High School
• Roosevelt High School
• Waiakea Intermediate School (2 teams)
• Waiakea High School (2 teams)
• Waialua High & Intermediate School (2 teams)

WHEN: Friday, April 15 through Saturday, April 16, 2011

WHERE: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida

A live web stream can be followed at: http://robotevents.com/championship

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: About Robotics Education in Hawaii

VEX Robotics is one of six programs which are supported by the Hawai‘i Robotics Organizing Committee (ROC), including FIRST, FIRST LEGO League, Underwater ROV, Botball, VEX Robotics and Micro Robotics.

Recognizing the importance of promoting robotics education at an early age and sustaining students’ interest in STEM education throughout their schooling, Hawai‘i’s six robotics programs joined together to form the Hawai‘i Robotics Organizing Committee (ROC). The six of the robotics programs are coordinating efforts to promote robotics education in elementary, middle and high schools statewide.

To learn more about robotics education in Hawai‘i, visit the Hawai‘i Robotics Organizing Committee website at: www.hawaiiiroc.org. 

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