Newton College & Career Academy’s Team 8682N just wrapped up their showing at the 2023 VRC High School State Championship February 10-11, 2023. The team qualified for the state championship through several outstanding performances during the regular season and emerged as one of the best in Georgia heading into the event. They solidified their place as the number one team in Georgia by winning the state tournament and walking away with the State Championship Excellence Award. Both of these accomplishments qualified the team for the World Championships that will take place in Dallas, TX April 25-27th.
Georgia is home to 196 high school VEX robotics team, making it one of the largest participating states in the U.S. Forty of Georgia’s top teams qualified for the state championship and put their skills to the test last weekend. Teams were present from all corners of Georgia, including teams from Ben Hill, Coffee, DeKalb, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Lowndes, Newton, Walker, Walton, and Ware Counties.
Winning the state championship is no easy feat. NCCA’s robotics team has been chasing that goal for several years. In this year’s championship tournament, Team 8682N went 5-2 in qualifying match play, which set them up to be chosen by the number one seed - Team 3142P from the Paideia School - during alliance selection. The pair swept the elimination bracket and defeated an alliance made up of Tucker High School and Whitewater High School teams in the finals to clinch the title. Team Captain, Noah Geiger said, “It was a tremendously fun tournament, and I am glad I got to do it with friends I have made over the years. The team is excited for the opportunity to compete with the world’s best robots in Dallas.”
In addition to their championship win, the team also won the State Championship Excellence Award. The Excellence Award is the highest award presented in a VEX Robotics Competition. That award is reserved for a team that exemplifies overall excellence in building a high-quality robotics program and is a strong contender in numerous award categories. Judges consider the team’s design notebook, team interviews, qualification rankings, and skills rankings as they choose the Excellence Award winner. Team mentor and NCCA’s manufacturing trainer, Zack Pitts, said, “I am incredibly proud of our teams, and I am grateful for the opportunity to mentor such talented and motivated students. I look forward to seeing what they achieve in the future.”
NCCA’s 8682N is comprised of five seniors and two juniors. The seniors are: Noah Geiger, Madison Forss, Natalie Henderson, Santiago Jaramillo, and Noah Larson. Bobby Stephens and Emma Grace Lumpkin are both juniors who will return next year. Additionally, NCCA is home to two other teams, 8682C and 8682A. Students involved in the robotics program spend hours before and after school perfecting their designs and continuously improving their robots. Through the process, students learn about engineering design, electronics, programming, mechanical systems, 3D CAD, and materials fabrication. “VEX students display their technology and engineering knowledge, expand their communication and teamwork skills, and show us how enjoyable hands-on learning can be through robotics,” said Dan Mantz, CEO of the REC Foundation.
NCCA attributes its robotics success, in part, to its partnership with SRG Global and the sponsorship support provided by META. Newton County is home to a META Data Center and the company has been the signature sponsor for VEX and VEXIQ robotics in Newton County for over three years. The company has provided over $150,000 in support for the district’s robotics initiatives to cover team registration, robotics equipment, and travel supplements. SRG Global is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high value coatings on plastic for the automotive and commercial truck industries. The company’s Covington facility has capabilities in injection molding, metal stamping and roll forming, profile extrusion, co-extrusion, flocking lines, and assembly. SRG Global regularly sends team mentors to NCCA to check on team progress and provide industry-expert consulting as students have questions about their designs.
NCCA Teams 8682N and 8682C will head to the World Championships in Dallas, TX at the end of April where they will test their skills against students from across the globe. The World Championships are made up of 800 of the best high school robotics teams from nearly 40 different countries. For more information on the VEX Robotics program at NCCA, please contact the school.