Bemidji VEX Teams Advance
If there’s anything that deserves a celebratory burst of confettiand perhaps a round of standing ovations from a crowd of enthusiastic engineersit’s the news that three local VEX Robotics teams from the Bemidji area are officially heading to the 2024 VEX Robotics World Championship. That’s right: the gears are turning, the bots are buzzing, and Bemidji is making its mark on the global stage of youth robotics.
Building a Foundation for the FutureOne Robot at a Time
Competing in the unforgiving world of robotics is no small feat. It takes months of design, coding, testing, and more re-codingnot to mention teamwork, perseverance, and a whole lot of late nights adjusting gears under fluorescent lights. And yet, three determined teams have risen above hundreds of competitors to secure their golden tickets to Dallas, Texas, where the world championship will take place this April.
Hailing from both Bemidji Middle School and the Area Learning Center, these teams are proving that innovation and talent can thrive even in the heart of northern Minnesota.
Meet the Pioneers of Precision
The middle school teamscleverly named Team 7888C, RoboCats and Team 7888W, RoboJacksdeveloped their intricate, competition-ready robots as part of Bemidji Middle School’s Bemidji VEX Robotics program. These students weren’t just building bots; they were designing solutions, solving problems, and making small miracles happen in metal and code.
Not to be outdone, Team 45377A from the Area Learning Center made serious waves at the state championship by clinching the prestigious Design Award. This honor celebrates not just performance, but a thorough engineering design process and the documentation that supports ita true mark of engineering professionalism.
From Local Gyms to the Global Stage
These three teams earned their spots at the world championship after highly competitive showings at the 2024 Minnesota State VEX Robotics Championship, held at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud. The atmosphere was electricrobots zipping through obstacle courses, students laser-focused on controllers, teachers cheering from the sidelines.
To qualify for Worlds, it’s not just about having the coolest-looking robot with blinking lights and retractable grapplers. Teams must exhibit a high level of technical know-how, strategic gameplay, andperhaps most importantlystrong collaboration and communication throughout the journey. The Bemidji squads showed up with brains, bots, and boldness.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
What sets Bemidji apart? According to program advisors and local mentors, it’s a mix of supportive educators, dedicated mentors, and truly passionate students. Robotics isn’t confined to the labthese teams carry their skills from math class to the playing field, using real-world applications of engineering, physics, and computer science on a daily basis.
“You see these students come alive when their robot starts working the way they envisioned it,” said one proud mentor. “That’s more than coding. That’s creativity, resilience, and real-world problem solving.”
Dallas or Bust!
So what’s next for the triumphant trio? A thrilling trip south to Dallas, where they’ll pit their creations against the best young robot-builders on the planet. Between now and April, it’ll be all hands on deckwith teams refining their code, optimizing their mechanics, and learning from every challenge that comes their way.
At the World Championship, they’ll go head-to-head with teams from across the globe, from as far as Japan and South America to fellow American contenders. Victory is never guaranteed, but the experience of networking, learning, and competing on this level is an invaluable milestone.
A Bright Future in Tech Begins with Moments Like These
Events like these shine a spotlight on the importance of STEM education in rural communitiesand show what’s possible when schools invest in hands-on, future-ready learning. Whether or not they bring home a trophy from Texas, these Bemidji teams have already won in the most important ways: by growing as thinkers, innovators, and leaders.
And if the rest of Minnesotaand the countryis paying attention, they’ll realize a truth that every robotics kid knows by heart: great ideas can come from anywhere, even the snowy corridors of a Bemidji school basement.
VEX Robotics is an international robotics competition platform designed to introduce students to STEM learning through hands-on project-based challenges. Thousands of teams from around the globe compete in regional, state, and national events to qualify for the annual World Championship.
