Mar. 13, 2017
Statewide Robotics Competition Held this Weekend at CWU
More than 500 K-12 students will descend on Central Washington University to compete in the 2017 Washington State VEX Robotics Tournament on March 11 in CWU’s Nicholson Pavilion. More than 100 teams from elementary, middle, and high schools from across Washington state will compete this Saturday for a chance to attend the VEX Worlds competition in Louisville, Kentucky in April.
Opening ceremonies are at 10:00 am and competition matches begin at 10:30 am. The public is invited; the event is free.
CWU GEAR UP will be represented by seven high school teams and eleven middle school teams from our cohort schools in Tonasket, Quincy and Wenatchee.
“Developing the robotics teams and participating in STEM competitions are key components of our MOSAIC2 and SOAR3 grants,” said Kelley Quirk, program manager. “The grants provide the equipment and curriculum. The majority of our middle school and high schools have at least one team, and they compete throughout the school year.”
CWU GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) has two separate grants funded by US Department of Education, one of several that the university has received in the past 15 years.
The current grants MOSAIC 2 (Moving our Students Academically into College and Careers) ($11.4 million) serves 2,040 11th and 12th graders from the Brewster, Highland, Lake Chelan, Manson, Omak, Oroville, Quincy, Tonasket, and Wenatchee school districts.
SOAR3 (Success and Opportunity through Affordability, Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships) ($18.3 million) serves 3,600 eighth- and ninth-grade students in the Brewster, Easton, Highland, Lake Chelan, Manson, Omak, Oroville, Quincy, Richland, Tonasket, and Wenatchee school districts.
CWU has received four GEAR UP grants since 2002. For more information about GEAR UP at CWU, go to www.cwu.edu/gearup.
For more information about the 2017 VEX Robotics World Competition, go to https://www.robotevents.com/robot-competitions/vex-robotics-competition/...
Parking is free in all university lots on weekends, except in residential housing lots and in specially designated spaces.
Media Contact: Valerie Chapman-Stockwell, Public Affairs, 509-963-1518, valeriec@cwu.edu
March 9, 2017