Highest-ever finish for an Irish school in the VEX Robotics World Championship

Kinsale Community School sent two teams from the Transition Year program to compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas from April 25th-27th. Both teams, consisting of 17 students selected for their skill set in building, coding, driving, and communicating, recorded impressive results with 6 wins and 4 losses and 5 wins and 5 losses each, respectively. 

The KCS students competing in the VEX World Championship were:
Roan Buckley, Anthony Coughlan, Ian Cullinane, Fionn Lichtsinn Doyle, Sean Finnegan, Finola Gaffney, Ronan Hawkings, Ross Langford, Donagh Leahy, Solomon Li, Zack Norman, Christian McCarthy, Tom McCarthy, Rowan O’Donohue, Naoise O Donnell, Mark O Driscoll, Ethan Smyth.

Remarkably, one team finished 26th in their division, marking the highest-ever finish for an Irish school in the VEX Robotics World Championship. This is a tremendous achievement considering that all the students had only eight months of experience with VEX robotics. 

The dedication and hard work of these students and the support of their teachers and mentors have paid off with such an outstanding accomplishment. We want to commend the efforts of Eddie Farren and Niamh Hay, who have been instrumental in guiding and supporting the students throughout their VEX journey. 

We would also like to express our gratitude to the parents of the students who competed in the VEX Robotics World Championship. Their active involvement in fundraising and contacting businesses for sponsorship played an integral role in making this incredible experience possible for the students. Their unwavering support and encouragement have undoubtedly contributed to the teams' success. 

During their time in Texas, the students also had the opportunity to visit NASA in Houston, further enriching their educational experience. 

It is worth mentioning that Dell is the event partner for VEX Ireland, and VEX Robotics will continue to grow in Ireland as it is an ideal platform for students to learn STEM, as it is a mixture of education and competition, where Kinsale Community School has excelled for the last five years. 

We want to congratulate both teams and commend them on their impressive performance. The dedication and perseverance displayed by these students are a testament to their commitmet to excellence.