The Kenneth White Jr. High MetalHawks robotics team defended their 1st place Intermediate Inventions title at the annual Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Area 1 Robotics Competition. The MetalHawks-Sierra team earned 1st place in Intermediate Inventions category which qualified them for State competition. Additionally, the MetalHawks-Tango and MetalHawks-Alpha were awarded 3rd place in Advanced Inventions and 4th place in Advanced Arena, respectively. The teams are composed of the following members:
MetalHawks-Sierra: Jonathan Salinas (Captain), Hugo Mireles, Camila Urquizo, Valerie Compean, and Ricardo Ochoa.
MetalHawks-Tango: Maritza Moreno (Captain), Alma Gomez, Danilee Alaniz, and Carlos Wong.
MetalHawks-Alpha: Jorge Salinas (Captain), Gabriel Cordova, and Jaclyn Ornelas.
In the Inventions category, each team follows the engineering design process to create a robot that solves a real world problem. Teams keep a detailed logbook and prepare a six-minute presentation for judges. During this presentation, students must showcase their research, robot performance, robot design, marketing strategies, and presentation skills.
In the Arena category, teams participate in three, two-minute, rounds in which a team’s robot must perform specific tasks on the challenge field. Points, penalties, and bonus awards are calculated at the end of each round, the teams must ensure their robot meets established requirements in regards to dimensions and materials used.
The MetalHawks Intermediate Inventions team will be representing KWJH at the TCEA State Competition. The Advanced Inventions and Arena teams also have a chance to make it to state if they are awarded a wild card slot in each category. This will be the fifth consecutive year the MetalHawks have qualified to the TCEA State Competition. Coaches for the MetalHawks Robotics team are Mr. J. Sanchez, Ms. S. Silva, Mr. A. Chapa, and Mrs. D. Garcia.