Some Mansfield ISD students proved that they are among the best problem solvers in the area when their creativity and technology collide. Now, they’re planning to take those skills to the state level.

Each year, more than 1,400 teams participate in Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) robotics contests held in 20 areas around the state and one on Guam.

Students from Brooks Wester Middle School, Rogene Worley Middle School and Alma Martinez Intermediate School participated in the area competition and finished at the top of their categories.

In the arena contest, in which the young competitors are asked to program a robot to do different tasks the day of the competition, the Wester Middle School team (Robocats) and the Worley Middle School team (Atomic Turtles) tied for first place.

Two Martinez Intermediate School teams competed in the inventions contest. In the inventions contest, teams follow the engineering design process to create a robot that solves a real-world problem. The school’s World Legends won first place. The Fantastic Four earned second place.

“I’m very proud of all of our robotics students who competed in the TCEA Area Contest this past weekend,” said Ashley Coffman, MISD digital learning coach. “While not all teams advanced, they all showed extraordinary levels of effort, teamwork and innovation.”

The members of the teams that advanced to state are:

• Robocats: Brenden Miller, Sean Harmon, Cade Walker and Joseph Torres
• Atomic Turtles: Aiden Ramirez, Jonathan Carsey, Preston Potter and Augie Martinez
• The World Legends: Autumn Linwood-Cotton, Ella Jeschke and Lanie Johnson
• The Fantastic Four: Anthony Bush and Lily Johnson

The state contest is scheduled to be held on April 23 in the Central Texas area. Learn more about TCEA robotics here.