N.J. high school beats out more than 1,000 schools to win world robotics championship
April 28, 2019A robotics team from New Jersey took home a championship trophy in Kentucky over the weekend, after ranking as one of the top robotics teams in the world.
Millburn High School was one of just five tournament champions, chosen from more than 30,000 students on 1,650 teams from dozens of countries that had gathered in Louisville for the 12th annual VEX Robotics World Championship. Millburn is the first New Jersey team to win a division at the World Championship.
“It was an out-of-body moment,” said David Farrell, the head robotics teacher and coach at Millburn High School. “The pure joy, jubilation and pride I feel for our team, our parents, our school and our community is beyond mere words.
Farrell also praised MHS student and team captain Bryan Levine, who was “masterful in running his team and it validates the process we started several years ago.”
Levine said he was overwhelmed by the team’s success.
“We were so excited to represent the United States and compete against 60 countries and take home the big prize,” he said in a statement Sunday evening. “Every member of the team worked so hard for this, and I am happy to say it all payed off.”
The team’s winning robot was built for the 2018-2019 Vex Robotics Competition Game Turning Point. In the game, the robot has to shoot balls, similar to wiffle balls at targets called flags.
Other champions included another team from Hartford, Connecticut, and three from China — two in Shanghai, and one in Quzhou.
“Outside of family, this was the greatest experience in my life and the best part is that it will last forever,” Farrell said.