Peter Meecham/Stuff
The Hillmorton High School robotics team will head to the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas. From left: Keegan Macklin, Grace Goodenough, Joshua Bergin, Zachariah Nicholson, Micah Langford, Holly Brown and Arleana Woo.
It may sound like science fiction, but a group of Christchurch students compete against other teenagers from around the world to build the best robot.
The Tigers, from Hillmorton High School, will travel to Dallas, Texas in April to compete in the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship, competing against students from Canada, China, Japan, the UK and the US.
The Year 10 team was “terrified” and “thrilled” for their trip, which will include a visit to the NASA base in Houston.
For some Christchurch teens, it’s the first time they’ve left New Zealand, and they’re having a Give a small page to help “catch the shortage of flights and accommodation”.
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Peter Meecham/Stuff
The team says they are terrified and excited in anticipation of their journey to join the United States.
They qualified for the world championships after being among the winners of the New Zealand final in November.
More than 20 teams from around the country entered the Wellington competition, and the Hillmorton Tigers were the only South Island to compete in the secondary school category.
Teams had a year to design and build a robot that could shoot orange discs across the floor — using both pre-programmed commands and a controller — to land them on a target.
The slap shot challenge is once again contested in Texas, but this time against the best teams from around the world.
Delivered
Members of the Hillmorton High School team in Wellington in December 2022.
Their robot is called Tobor (robot backwards) and their success is the result of years of investing in robot technology at Hillmorton High.
“We’re pretty excited about robotics here,” said Liz Williams, director of digital technology and commerce at Hillmorton High School.
The robot kits can be built to a plan, “kind of like a Lego set,” or a student can build their own designs, using sensors and commands to tell the machines what to do, Williams said.
The school bought its first robot kit about five years ago and started a “little” robot club. They bought more robots and now it’s a topic for ninth and tenth grade students.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF
Hillmorton High School has banned phones – and now students are talking to each other more. (First published March 2021)
“It’s grown and grown over the last four years, to the point where it’s now an option for students to take,” Williams said.
Hill Morton High School made headlines in March 2021 when staff introduced a mobile phone ban. It had a positive impact on student behavior and engagement overnight.
Donations can be made here or by visiting Giveattle and looking for Hillmorton Tigers.