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Wildwood Middle School robotics team lauded after reaching VEX World Championship
Summary
Wildwood Middle School’s three-person robotics team, introduced by coach Randy Short, represented Jefferson County at the VEX World Championship in St. Louis, placing in the top 4% of teams; the board presented certificates and medals and the coach thanked the district for rapid support that enabled the trip.
Randy Short, the Wildwood Middle School robotics coach, told the Jefferson County Board of Education that his three-person team — including students Cooper Kennedy and Jason/Jasmine Spanos — reached the VEX World Championship in St. Louis this spring and finished in the top 4% of teams worldwide.
"We were one of two public schools from West Virginia to make it there," Short said, adding that the students advanced after competing against thousands of teams and that district staff acted quickly to secure travel support: "We had 48 hours to say yes to go to the event, and they jumped right on board." The board accepted certificates and medals that Short said were produced for the world championship.
Short described the game challenge (stacking and moving pins on a game field) and praised the team’s cooperative strategy. Board members applauded the students’ achievement and congratulated the school on growing a middle-school robotics program that now uses the VEX system across district middle schools. The recognition concluded with the board and the coach thanking the students and staff who supported the trip.
