Bryant Middle School gym is the site for the Hornet Regional VEX Robotics Competition on Saturday, January 13. A total of 64 teams from around the state have registered to compete in one of two divisions: middle school and high school. Over 400 spectators are expected to attend.
The Hornet Regional is the precursor to the VEX Robotics State Tournament. A first for Arkansas, the state tournament will feature a middle school division this year in addition to the high school competition.
Serving as both hosts and participants, Bryant Middle School will offer four teams; Bryant High School will compete with two teams; and Bethel Middle School will contend with one team. Guest teams will begin arriving at 7am, with matches underway around 10am. The competition is expected to conclude at 5pm.
In the VEX Robotics Competition, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, teams of students are tasked with designing and building a robot to play against other teams in a game-based engineering challenge. Classroom STEM concepts are put to the test as students learn lifelong skills in teamwork, leadership, communications, and more. Tournaments are held year-round at the regional, state, and national levels and culminate at the VEX Robotics World Championship each April. Bryant teams have participated in the world championship for the past five years, earning three World Championship Awards.
The event is free to the public.