Team 4591V, the Vikings. From left: Eli Deets, Antone Jamiel and Samuel Barnes

Team 3249U, A.L.U. From left: Grant Myers, Jonah Campbell, Lucas Rogers, Raymond Gwilliam and Clark Hegewald

Two teams of Vancouver iTech Preparatory students qualified for the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship in Dallas, Texas, in May 2022. Thousands of teams from more than 40 countries showcased their technical, teamwork and critical thinking skills as they put their creations through a series of challenging tasks.

In October 2021, the young engineers began working after school to create robots that can operate remotely and even autonomously. Under the guidance of teacher/coach Cyndy Hagin, the iTech students designed, engineered and tested robots that can quickly stack rings and buckets on a platform.

Their hard work paid off. Both teams brought home trophies. Team 4591V, the Vikings, earned the Judges’ Award. Members are sixth-graders Samuel Barnes, Eli Deets and Antone Jamiel.

Team 3249U, A.L.U., netted the Sportsmanship Award. The team of high school juniors and seniors includes Jonah Campbell, Raymond Gwilliam, Clark Hegewald, Grant Myers and Lucas Rogers.