Roland students from VEX Robotics team 9545X (Wreckin’ Crew) secured Tournament Champion and the Excellence Award at the V5 Robotics Competition that took place in Muskogee. Students competed with and against the top thirty teams from across the state. The action-packed day required middle and high school students to execute the 2024-25 game V5 Robotics Competition High Stakes presented by the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation.

As award recipients, the team has qualified to extend their journey as they compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship.

Wreckin’ Crew’s team is comprised of Mason O’Neal (eighth grade) and Kaden White (ninth grade). To prepare for the tournament, the team worked together to design, build and program a robot using VEX V5, that could quickly and efficiently solve specific challenges that come with playing the 2024-25 game V5 Robotics Competition High Stakes.

Team member awards: Build Award, MS Tournament Quarter-Finals (Matthew Hosmer, Dylan Lowe and Connor Stacy); Tournament Qualifier (Landen Olsen, Robert Pike and Easton Rainwater); Tournament Qualifier (Kyler Nguyen, Nehemiah Reagan and Elton Ulrich); Tournament Champions, MS Excellence Award, Skills Runner- Up (Mason O’Neal and Kaden White); and Tournament Qualifier (Cristian Moya, Izzy O’Neal and Skylor Serjeant) Each week, the students apply what they’ve learned about STEM in the classroom, to build these semi-autonomous machines. An equally important set of skills is learned through the competition — communication, project management, time management, and teamwork.

Roland’s V5 Robotics Competition team meets in the classroom and after school. The students learn about electronics, programming, mechanical systems, animation, 3D CAD, computer-aided machining, and materials fabrication.

The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation manages the V5 Robotics Competition, which thousands of schools participate in around the world each year. Dan Mantz, CEO of the REC Foundation, said, “As an experienced robotics mentor, I’ve seen firsthand the engineering skill and leadership expertise that students gain by participating in the V5 Robotics Competition. It’s an experience that will stay with them long after their school days are over, offering a new appreciation for STEM and laying a strong foundation of critical problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.”

Roland will be competing in the upcoming World Championship on May 9, at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas. The event is open and free for media, families, and other community members to attend.