Senior Celebrations News
![VEX Robotics]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1710945557/gcpsk12org/e2zzw6fhx6egrmja3v5g/VexRobotics.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1710945557/gcpsk12org/e2zzw6fhx6egrmja3v5g/VexRobotics.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1710945557/gcpsk12org/e2zzw6fhx6egrmja3v5g/VexRobotics.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1710945557/gcpsk12org/e2zzw6fhx6egrmja3v5g/VexRobotics.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1710945557/gcpsk12org/e2zzw6fhx6egrmja3v5g/VexRobotics.jpg","width":1266}])
Robotics teams from Paul Duke STEM High School and Parkview High School have been named 2024 Georgia State Vex Robotics Overall High School Champions. The robotics team from the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (GSMST) are state championship finalists. Osborne Middle School’s robotics team placed first in the middle school state tournament. Six Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) robotics teams qualified for the 2024 VEX Robotics World Championship, which will be held from April 25 through May 3 in Dallas, Texas. Robotics teams from Crews, Lanier, and Osborne Middle Schools will join teams from GSMST, Parkview High, and Paul Duke STEM High to compete against hundreds of teams worldwide. The VEX Robotics World Championship is an annual event that brings together the top VEX Robotics teams from around the globe to celebrate their accomplishments and crown champions.
Paul Duke STEM High’s Coach and Physics Teacher, Brandon Horsley, is excited and proud. “Our state-winning team was a one-man team,” Horsley shares. “Senior Jack Pulliam wanted to experience every aspect of robotics without being slowed down. The 18-plus hours per week he spends on robotics far exceeds everyone else in the program. He started his bot last May and has spent the better part of a year iterating and perfecting his particular solution to the challenge. He is a once-in-a-generation competitor, and we are happy he got to compete as a Trailblazer.”
GCPS Director of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, Sallie Holloway, says the competitions are fun and educational.
“VEX robotics is a great opportunity for students to deepen their engineering, programming, and problem-solving skills beyond the classroom,” Holloway explains. “Students work as a team to solve real-world problems in an exciting robotics challenge that changes each year. We are proud to support these teams and celebrate their achievements! This year, we have the most schools competing at the state and world levels, and we look forward to seeing their hard work recognized.”