Students from Coffee High School showcased their engineering skills and teamwork at a recent VEX Robotics Tournament, bringing home the tournament championship, robotics skills championship, and the Judges award in a highly competitive field of teams from across the state.
The team won the tournament outright after being a finalist in the last tournament. Team 1253B was 7-0 in the qualifying matches and never looked back, beating Ware County soundly in the finals 53-17. A masterclass of preparation, robotic design, strategy, communication, and teamwork. Captain Jovanny Gomez led the team with Ian Farmer, Ruby Gomez,and Aldair Ramirez supporting. Along with the tournament win the team won the Judges Award, an award based on interviews by judges, engineering notebook, and robotic design.
Jolston Dean, Sebastian Hickerson, and Tripp Lewis delivered a resounding win in the robotics skills portion of the tournament, more than doubling the score of any of the other 20 robots competing. They are ranked 12th in the state of Georgia as of this tournament. Their design and strategy were next class and gave Coffee another entry into the VEX Robotics State Championship Feb 7.
“Our students put in countless hours of design, testing, and teamwork. Each member has a role and they work in constant collaboration to deliver a robot that can compete on a high level,” said Jerry Hill, VEX Robotics coach at Coffee High. “Winning four trophies is a testament to their dedication and their ability to apply real-world engineering concepts under pressure. This was the most awards we have gotten at a tournament since 2022. I can’t express how much work these kids put into making our VEX robotics program a success.”
VEX Robotics competitions are part of a global program that encourages students to develop STEM skills through hands-on learning, teamwork, and innovation. Teams compete in fast-paced matches while also being evaluated on design process, documentation, and sportsmanship.
With this successful showing, the Coffee High VEX Robotics Team was given another invitation to the Georgia State VEX robotics tournament in February to compete in the Robotics Skills Championships based on skills points. That gives Coffee High an opportunity to take two robots to the competition and compete for a spot at the VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis Missouri in April.
The leadership team and other student members would like to thank the following sponsors for supporting the team and allowing them to travel and compete against the best technology teams in the state. Without support from community members these students would not be able to show the talent that the Coffee County school system has produced. Thank you to the following: Eagle Lake Bone Pickers, Vaughn Tile Company, Chik-Fil-A, Madison Grey House, Hanna’s, The Pink House, P&M Trucking, Swann’s Pharmacy, Mid South, Charles Lewis Construction, Paradise Tan, Sassy Sip, Napa Auto Parts, Scott Kirkland Jewelry and Repair, Pilgrims Pride, Randa Hardee, and Dr. Rodney Ragsdale.
