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Washington County board recognizes John S. Battle and Patrick Henry robotic drone teams
Summary
Washington County Public Schools trustees honored two high‑school robotic drone teams Thursday, recognizing a national alliance championship and a regional rookie award and noting the programs’ contributions to STEM and soft‑skills development.
The Washington County Public Schools board on Thursday formally recognized John S. Battle High School’s and Patrick Henry High School’s first robotic drone league teams, honoring a national alliance championship and a regional “rookie of the year” performance and highlighting the programs’ academic and workforce benefits.
Superintendent Dr. Perrigan introduced the teams and coaches, and coaches Andrew Smith and Eric Hoffman described the students’ experience competing in regional and national events. “These will be the first robot drone league competitors that Washington County has ever had,” Smith said, noting John S. Battle placed second at regionals and won an autonomous‑coding award. Hoffman said the Patrick Henry team earned a regional alliance championship and was later named Alliance National Champions.
The board and staff emphasized both technical skills and “soft skills” — teamwork, public speaking and alliance‑building — developed through the competitions. Board member Miss Nichols praised the students’ mix of technical ability and extracurricular involvement, noting members who also participate in theater and set design. Dr. Perrigan and other board members called the teams “pioneers” who have established a program legacy for future students.
Coaches and students described aspects of the league format: an autonomous period in which robots must run without human control, alliance rounds where teams combine scores, and additional tasks such as flying a drone to a screen to read and return a question. Hoffman said John S. Battle shared an autonomous code, which his team credited with boosting final‑round points.
The board presented certificates and posed for photographs with team members. Several board members encouraged continued outreach and student recruitment to sustain the program as seniors graduate.
The recognition came during the board’s regular meeting agenda and drew extended board comment about the value of career‑and‑tech and STEM programming in Washington County schools.
