DOWNEY – Griffiths Middle School and Warren High School hosted Downey Unified’s first VEX Robotics Competition, titled “Nothing But Net,” this past weekend in Warren High’s gymnasium. 

The competition featured 22 teams from as far as San Luis Obispo County, with students working collaboratively to launch foam balls into nets located on the corners of a 12-by-12 ft. arena. 

The event consisted of five qualifying rounds followed by an elimination round that determined the final winning alliance of robots. Downey Unified was represented with six total teams: three from Griffiths, one from Stauffer Middle School and two from Warren. 

With one team from each school advancing to the elimination round of 16, a Warren High team, ‘The Demolishers,” went into the elimination ranked third overall. Teams from Stauffer and Griffiths middle schools also had strong showings, going into the elimination rounds, being ranked 13th, 14th, and 15th overall before being overcome by rival alliances. 

The scrimmage was organized through a partnership between Griffiths and Warren in hopes to be one of many robotics tournaments that will be held within Downey Unified throughout the year. Both schools are also collaborating to organize VEX robotics leagues and be the eventual host for an official state qualifier. 

Results are yet to be finalized from this weekend’s event. 

The VEX Robotics Competition, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, is the ultimate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activity for middle and high school students, ages 11-18. Each year, an engineering challenge is presented in the form of a game. Students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors, use the VEX Robotics Design System to build innovative robots designed to score the most points possible in qualification matches, elimination matches and Skills Challenges.

In addition to having a great time and building amazing robots, through their participation in the VEX Robotics Competition and their work within their team, students will learn many academic and life skills, better preparing them to be both college and career ready as well as globally competitive, DUSD officials said.

Classroom STEM concepts are put to the test on the playing field as students learn lifelong skills in teamwork, leadership, communications and more. Tournaments are held year-round at the regional, state, and national levels; local champions go on to compete against the best in the world at the VEX Robotics World Championship each