Recently, our YWIES Tongxiang VEX Robotics Teams achieved excellent results in the 2023 14th VEX Asia Robotics Championship China Selection Competition East China Division; congratulations to the award-winning students!

Three teams from our school participated in the competition and won multiple awards, successfully advancing to the East China Finals of the event.

Our VEX Team students actively participate in various VEX competitions, and their presence on the awards podium is a testament to their continuous breakthroughs representing the school. In 2022, they participated for the first time in the 15th VEX Asia Robotics Championship China Selection Competition and won the third prize in the VEX VRC High School Division. In 2023, our VEX teams participated in the first Greater Bay Area VEX Robotics International Youth Innovation Invitational in Guangzhou and won the Best Build Award and the third prize. They also competed in the 2023 first "China Blue AI Future Star-Bosi Cup" National Invitational Robot Challenge held in Hangzhou and achieved the third prize.

YWIES Tongxiang VEX Club

Among the numerous clubs in our school, the VEX Club is a shining "star". Every Wednesday and Friday during the CCA period, members of the club gather in the fifth-floor robot arena to begin their weekly training. The club's main training activities include robot design, control, programming, maintenance, and competition strategy. Under the guidance of teachers, club members design and operate their own assembled robots and complete a series of challenging tasks through teamwork. Every year, the VEX Club also represents the school in international robotics competitions. Mr Theo, who is the teacher in charge of VEX club, welcomes students in grade six and above who are interested in robotics or programming to join.

We have learned that in regular VEX courses, students work together in small groups to design and build robots, typically with 3-5 members per group. According to Mr Theo, they focus more on teaching key skills such as programming, mechanical design, and teamwork during the course. They also encourage students to solve problems hands-on, which helps them better understand and apply their knowledge. In addition, the VEX school team often conducts simulated matches to test their robot's performance in real competitions. Students continuously test their robots, identify problems, and make improvements. This process of continuous testing and improvement helps students become familiar with adjusting mechanical parts, fixing programming errors, and improving related robot performance.

G10 Patrick, representative from our school's VEX robotics team who won second prize in this competition, believes that learning how to independently learn is a very important skill. Through the VEX robot, he was able to effectively improve and develop this skill.

VEX is not just a mechanical and programming competition, but also a training ground for participants to develop various skills. Tom is a Grade 9 student who has represented his school's VEX robotics team in multiple competitions and won awards. He believes that learning VEX robotics can provide him with great help for his future academic and college application goals. By participating in VEX robotics projects, students can gain practical experience and skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and innovative thinking, which are highly valued by colleges and universities. In addition, participating in VEX robotics competitions can enhance students' competitiveness and increase their chances of success when applying to prestigious schools.

Excellent Results in VEX | Teacher's Comments

Regarding the excellent results achieved by the VEX School Team in all competitions over the past two years, the two instructors expressed their thoughts:

Ms Lily says, after working hard with the team members, I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to come so soon. In the past six months, the school has provided great support to the VEX School Team in all aspects, from the field equipment to training time and so on. With more excellent new team members joining, the daily training has become more diverse and the overall ability of the VEX School Team has improved significantly. Therefore, this success is a proof of their strength.

Mr Theo says, as the VEX V5 robot coach of the school, we are proud of the school team. This final qualification is a huge achievement, which represents our robots standing out in fierce competition and demonstrating their performance and reliability. It also proves the effectiveness of our strategy and design. In the finals, we faced higher-level competition, which made us realize our shortcomings more deeply. Although we did not win any place in the finals, it was a valuable experience that allowed us to better understand the strategies and robot designs of other teams. We will continue to work hard, learn from the experience of other successful teams, improve our robots, and strive for better results in future competitions. This experience of qualifying for the finals will inspire us to work harder and pursue excellence.

We hope that YWIES Tongxiang students will continue to pursue excellence and innovation, continuously learn and explore new fields of science and engineering, and also hope that they can use their skills and knowledge to solve real-world problems and make positive contributions to the development of human society.