LCHS wins 2nd place at robotics state championship

LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) - A local high school is making a name for itself state-wide in a STEM program.

Laurel Christian High School’s Robotics Program recently finished the 2021-2022 “First Tech Challenge” robotics season ranked second in the state.

Eighteen teams competed in matches with robots designed, built and programmed by students.

LCHS’ 11-member team is comprised of students in seventh- through 12th-grade.

After a fourth-place finish last year, team members say they faced several obstacles heading into this year’s state championship.

“Last year’s championship we competed here at the school remotely because of First Tech and their COVID guidelines,” said Lilly Adcock, LCHS Robotics Program team member. “This season, we worked with another team who was playing on the field with us against another team with another team... We had to learn to work with our alliance partner.”

The robotics program is about more than awards and trophies. LCHS’s team sacrificed its own points in order to help another team struggling during the match.

“One of our sister teams, their name is Spare Parts, their autonomous malfunctioned and they flipped over,” said Noah McCord, LCHS Robotics Program team member. “But, thankfully, our drivers sacrificed getting the state record to come and help them and level out the playing field.

“That’s basically what First Tech does, cause competition in which we don’t just compete. We cooperate with all the other teams.”

The team is hoping to share its giving spirit, not just in Mississippi, but across the world.

“The kids came to me last week, (and) there are teams in Ukraine, and they want to organize a fundraiser and get in touch with those students and families that are just like us and see how can we help them through fundraising or awareness,” said Lora Adcock, LCHS Robotics Program head coach

“So, that’s on our radar right now is doing more of outreach and community service projects while we’re not actually hands-on building.”

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