Nineteen Hawaiʻi Robotics Teams Qualify for World Championship

Eight middle school and 11 elementary school robotics teams qualified for the 2019 VEX World Championships at the Hawaiʻi State VEX IQ Championships. Among the winners were teams from Lokelani Middle School, Kualapuʻu School, Kaunakakai School, and the Mendija Robotics Academy of Molokaʻi. 

The world championship will be held from April 24 to May 1 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Top-ranked robotics teams from 45 other countries will also be competing in the championship. Among 40 teams, the 19 elementary and middle school groups earned the following awards:

Middle School VEX IQ at St. Louis School, Feb. 23:

• Excellence Award – Waialua Intermediate (Hawaiian Kids Team 359A)
• Teamwork Champions – Cornerstone Engineering Robotics (Mililani Masters Team 11173B) Lokelani Middle School (Kolohe Kids Team 5777K)
• Teamwork Champions 2nd Place – St. Louis School (The Crusaders Team 4270A) and Hawaiʻi Technology Academy (Triton Team 1234B) of Waipahu
• Robot Skills Champion – Mendija Robotics Academy (Mendija Robotics Team 81218A) from Molokaʻi
• Design Award – Island Pacific Academy (Navigator Robotics Team 4442A)

St. Louis School also earned the STEM Research Project Award, which qualified them for the world championship for a second time. Due to the overlap, a team from Waialua Intermediate was able to qualify for the world championship through its skills ranking. 

Elementary School VEX IQ at Sacred Hearts Academy, March 2:

• Excellence Award – Mānoa Elementary (Green Tigers Team 10142Y)
• Teamwork Champions – BSA Aloha Council Troop 32 (Son of Daimos Team 3200S) of Waipahu, and Mānoa Elementary (Green Tigers Team 10142X)
• Teamwork Champions 2nd Place – Haleʻiwa Elementary (Cane Fire Team 96712B) and Kualapuʻu School (Kualupuʻu Comets Team 1037C) of Molokaʻi
• Teamwork Champions 3rd Place – Mānoa Elementary (Green Tigers Team 10142A) and Sacred Hearts Academy (Lancer Robotics Team 2436C)
• Robot Skills Champion – Sacred Hearts Academy (Lancer Robotics Team 2436A)
• Design Award – Sacred Hearts Academy (Lancer Robotics Team 2436B)
• Amaze Award – Kaunakakai School (Molokaʻi Masters Team 11516D)
• STEM Research Project Award – Mililani Mauka Elementary (Eagle Teks Team 241E)

A full list of the award recipients is available online.

The 19 teams will join five middle and high school VEX VRC teams that won World Championship qualifying slots during the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ Hawaiʻi State VEX VRC Championship in January.

Since 2013, the Hawaiian Electric Companies have sponsored the VEX State Championships. Today, there are 270 IQ teams and 92 VEX teams across the state, with about 1,500 students participating in more than 70 robotics events throughout the year.