Queensbury High School will host the New York-North Blended VEX IQ State Championship on March 9, 2024. Hundreds of robot enthusiasts will travel to Queensbury to compete and watch the championship matches.
“This day will feature Vex IQ students in grades 4 through 8 in addition to the high school championships all in one day and on one campus,” said Ben Grieco, Queensbury’s director of technology.
VEX Robotics is an educational robotics system that teaches students in grades 3-12 the fundamentals of STEM through robotics. Students design, build and program robots while keeping an engineering notebook throughout the process.
Beyond classroom training, there is also a competition component for students to collaborate and compete against each other.
The concept has been growing regionally over the years, and several local schools house teams that build robots to compete in an arena-like setting against other teams.
Queensbury boasts robotics teams at the William H. Barton Intermediate School, Queensbury Middle School and Queensbury High School. Schools expected to participate in the state championship on March 9 include Lake George, Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Saratoga, Granville and Schuylerville.
The VEX robotics season runs all school year with teams qualifying for the state championship through several tournaments during the season. About 70 high school teams and 32 middle school teams are expected to attend the March 9 State Championship, where teams can qualify for the world championship in Dallas, Texas in May 2024.
“We are excited to showcase the amazing work, time and dedication that students from around New York State have put into creating these robots,” Grieco said.