The George Washington High School robotics team is gearing up for its first participation in the high-stakes VEX B5 robotics competition in San Diego.
Led by five determined seniors, the team will travel to California Thursday morning, hoping to make their mark in the world of competitive robotics before returning next Tuesday night.
The VEX V5 Robotics Competition is a prestigious event where middle and high school students design, build, and program robots using the VEX V5 platform.
Teams compete in a game-based engineering challenge, showcasing their science, technology, engineering and math, STEM, skills through innovation and collaboration.
“B5” refers to the VEX V5 platform, a widely recognized robotics competition known for fostering engineering skills.
The GW robotics team consists of five seniors — four males and one female. The team represents the pre-engineering class of 16 students.
“To my knowledge, it’s the first time that GW is part of this. It’s hosted by the JROTC program, and this is the first time that we are taking a team there,” GW science teacher and robotics instructor Sheena Newell said.
While she is the students’ instructor, Newell said the team is all student-led.
Despite time constraints, the team dedicated significant time outside of class to perfect their robot.
“They came in almost every single day since November to work on it, and now they’re here working on it,” she added.
Newell said she’s “super proud” of her students and noted their determination.
“It really shows the dedication to something that they’re passionate about,” she said. “While it’s a robot, it’s all about finding a passion and committing to it.”
Although five students are officially representing the team, Newell noted that many others have contributed to the project. She also credited her other robotics and pre-engineering students who helped with the preparations.
Proud to represent Guam
Francisca Dilla, captain of the robotics team and the only female member, said representing Guam is a source of pride.
“We’re completely honored to represent Guam, and we will make you proud,” Dilla said, noting the added pressure of being the first team from Guam to compete.
She initially did not vie for the role of captain but she took on the responsibility with pride.
“It’s quite a challenge, but it’s a challenge that I’m willing to take on,” Dilla said. “I was honored to be chosen as the captain…but I’m lucky enough to have a great team that respects me and does everything that we need to get done.”
Dilla also spoke about the challenges her team faced during preparations.
“Most of our challenges came from the robot,” she said. “We put our heads together, calmed down, and asked, ‘What is the problem at hand, and what can we do to solve it?’”
Macaraeg: ‘Show up and show well’
Joriz Macaraeg, co-captain of the robotics team, said this is his first time going off-island and acknowledges the significance of setting a precedent for future students.
“I’m setting the stepping stones for the juniors, the sophomores, the freshmen after me,” he said.
Macaraeg highlighted Dilla’s role in managing the team and leading the coding efforts.
“She did the hardest part, which is coding, and she managed us,” he said. “She definitely is the deserved captain.”
As the team prepares to represent Guam, Macaraeg feels the pressure but takes comfort in the success of other U.S. territories.
“I feel the pressure, of course,” he said, “but with American Samoa winning last year’s zone, I believe that gives me some confidence.”
Macaraeg’s ultimate goal is for the team to be a strong competitor.
“We want to be a competitor. We don’t just want to participate,” he said. “We want to show up and show well.”
