The VEX Robotics Design System offers students an exciting platform for learning about areas rich with career opportunities spanning science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). These are just a few of the many fields students can explore by creating with VEX Robotics technology. Beyond science and engineering principles, a VEX Robotics project encourages teamwork, leadership and problem solving among groups. It also allows educators to easily customize projects to meet the level of students’ abilities. The affordable VEX platform is expanding rapidly and is now found in middle schools, high schools and university labs around the globe. Robotics hobbyists also appreciate the advanced capabilities of the VEX System.

Here at E-Bots we took on the VEX challenge this year with 11 students who had "graduated
from our FLL programs and from elementary school. It has been an incredible journey of knowledge, trial and error, excitement, disappointment but has it been worth it? ABSOLUTELY!

Still in their very first ever competitive season, the VEX team has surpassed everyones expectations and won the Judges award in St. Catharines (for their robot design) in their first ever VEX competition. This was followed closely by the Robot Design Award at a competition in Detroit! They will be competing Feb. 18th in St. Catharines and Feb. 25th in Mississauga (Rick Hansen S.S.). A smaller group of members will be taking the robot on the road again March 10th to Maryland where they will compete in the Mid-Atlantic VEX competition against 90 other teams!

This program has had a start-up cost that has gone beyond the support of E-Bots and the parents of these 11 students. The students have been fundraising by selling HEX bugs to the community and the parents in conjunction with E-Bots have created a sponsorship package, should your company be interested in supporting an award winning group of students with their learning experiences please contact the office for a sponsorship package.

In addition to the Robot competitions the team submitted online challenges which at this current moment have them in the top 10 submissions while they wait for the final judges decision!!

Above is the submission for a suggestion for next years VEX challenge. Below is a video submission for use as a promotional tool for VEX.

For more information on the team, visit their website www.Team5225.wordpress.com