Statewide Robotics Competition Coming to Bayshore High

Teams of enterprising students representing as many as 32 high schools and middle schools from around the state will gather at Bayshore High School Saturday, Oct. 27, to take part in a VEX Robotics Competition billed as the “Bayshore Bot Blast.”

VEX Robotics competitions call on teams of students to design and build functional robots to perform particular tasks. This year’s VEX competitions are titled the “VEX Sack Attack” and they require students to design robots that can pick up cloth sacks and deposit them in specific scoring areas on a 12-foot by 12-foot playing field.

Saturday’s VEX Robotics competition can qualify students for national and world competitions. In addition, former NASA Shuttle Launch Director Michael Leinbach will be a featured guest judge. Mr. Leinbach is currently the Director of Human Spaceflight Operations at the United Launch Alliance.

Teams will be coming to compete from as far away as Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, as well as the Tampa Bay region, including Brandon and Tampa High Schools. At least four teams representing Manatee District schools are expected to compete.

Opening Ceremonies at the Bayshore Bot Blast are scheduled for 9:45 a.m. and the competition is set to begin at 10 a.m. The competition will continue through the afternoon and conclude with the Awards Ceremony at approximately 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

For information contact Bayshore High Health, Applied Science and Engineering teacher Martha Jane Proulx at (941) 751-7004, ext. 2078.