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Over 300 students and teachers from 31 elementary, middle, and high schools gathered on Saturday to participate in Games Robots Play 2017 “Engineering is my Superpower” at Waltrip High School.

Sponsored by the Waltrip CTE department and Advanced Academics STEM Teacher Development team, each of the games focused on a different superhero and challenged students in engineering, programming, and critical-thinking skills.

Games Robots Play completely was designed and facilitated by students in the Waltrip High School CTE classes. These students designed and built the games and served as scorers and mentors on the day of the challenge as participants worked to play the games using the autonomous robotic platform of their choice. Additionally, volunteers from the Waltrip National Honor Society and other community members participated as mentors and judges for the event.

The focus of Games Robots Play is not as a competition, but as a day of learning and challenge.  Teams received a wide variety of recognitions such as robot performance, programming, engineering design, teamwork, sportsmanship, and determination. Many teachers participated in the games alongside students with their own robots as a professional development opportunity.