Mission CISD Mighty Robo-Rangers robotics teams have been a dominating contender for the 6th year in a row at the annual Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Area 1 Robotics Competition held on January 19, 2019 at Edinburg North High School. TCEA Area 1 consists of seven counties in the Rio Grande Valley that include: Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Starr, Web, Willacy, and Zapata. The Area 1 robotics competition is one of the largest in the state with over 200 teams participating in four different competitions and levels. The teams compete in Advanced (High School & Middle School) or Intermediate (Middle School & Elementary) divisions. In each of those divisions, teams can compete in either the invention or the arena contest for the opportunity to compete at the TCEA Robotics State Championship by placing in the top 2 of every category.
The Alton Memorial Jr High (AMJH) Robo-Ranger teams finished 2nd and 4th in Advanced Arena category of the competition. The Black Robo-Rangers team finished in 2nd place in Advanced Arena and automatically advancing the team to the 2019 TCEA Robotics State Championship. Also competing in the Advanced Arena category was the Platinum Robo-Rangers team finishing in a close 4th place. The Platinum Robo-Rangers may qualify for the TCEA Robotics State Championship if they are invited based on an overall score compared to the other TCEA Areas in the state as a Wild-Card Qualification.
In the Intermediate Arena category, the AMJH Robo-Rangers directly mentor Raquel Cavazos Elementary Robo-Rangers “Yellow” and they finished in 1st Place Overall from all the elementary schools competing. The R. Cavazos Elementary Robo-Rangers “Yellow” team also finished in 2nd Place Overall in the Intermediate Arena category (Middle School and Elementary). This Intermediate Arena division had a total of 148 teams competing from the entire Rio Grande Valley. The TCEA Area 1 Robotics Competition recognizes elementary schools in their own Intermediate Division in each of the Arena and Inventions categories. This is also the first-time ever that a team from Raquel Cavazos Elementary School earns a 1st Place Championship Arena Award.
It is a huge accomplishment to have the Mighty Robo-Ranger teams advance from the largest TCEA Area in the state of Texas to the Robotics State Championship for six years straight. TCEA regulations state that teams that placed first and second in their categories automatically advance to the championship in April. Teams that finish a close third place, fourth, and fifth can also advance to the state competition pending a wildcard invitation by TCEA. In the last five years, the Mighty Robo-Rangers have advanced multiple teams to the state contest and have finished in the Top 4 of the TCEA State Robotics Championship. Last year, they finished in 3rd Place and 4th Place in Intermediate Arena at the 2018 TCEA State Robotics Championship held in Hutto, TX.
The Arena contest is a more prescribed problem contest. Teams of two to four students receive a set of challenge rules and specifications designed around a theme that varies from year to year. Students have to design and innovate a robot using the EV3 and NXT platforms of Lego Mindstorms to accomplish several objectives. This entails months of preparation, brainstorming, designing, and programming. The challenge is to design around the theme that changes every year. This year’s 2018-2019 TCEA Mindstorms Robotics Challenge theme is titled, “On the Factory Floor” and is designed around the theme of robotics process automation of the Fidget Company.
Results for the Advanced Arena teams from Alton Memorial Jr. High -
2nd Place Cobalt Robo-Rangers: Angel Almaraz (Captain), Eduardo Uresti, Jasmine Trevino, and Vanessa Araujo.
Results for the Intermediate Arena teams from Raquel Cavazos Elementary-
1st Place (Elementary Division) and 2nd Place (Intermediate Overall Division) Yellow Robo-Rangers: Jazlyn Granados (Captain), Adrianna Cienega, Kayla Cirlos, and Arilyn Garcia.