Warrior Robotics Team Won 2nd Place

The Corinth Warrior Robotics team recently came in 2nd place overall at the Mississippi State BEST Robotics Competition on October 22, 2022. The team has placed in the top two spots for the last three consecutive years.

They also won 1st place in the Marketing Presentation and 2nd place in the Robotics category.

The theme of this year’s competition was “Made 2 Order.” The students were tasked with making a robot that would drive another robot. They had to complete parts of their robot and then use that robot to fulfill product orders (in this case, to put things in a box).

Team members include 8th graders Amaya Banks, Noah Jalla and Thomas Senf; 9th graders Nevaeh Leanord, Makan Garcia and Lilah Edmonson; 10th graders Jaden Edwards, Judah Edwards and Ben Klein; and 11th graders Sara Chloe Cornelius, Ethan Nelms, Mary Parker, Ciara Smith and Dylan Snyder.

“Our mentors have all said that this is the best overall team effort we have ever seen from the students,” said Mrs. Beverly Henson, Corinth Middle School science teacher and Robotics Club sponsor. “The one thing I have always been impressed with by this team is how THEY WILL NOT QUIT. When everything goes wrong, they just keep working to make our team better. Their persistence has paid off.”

Eleventh graders Ciara Smith and Sara Chloe Cornelius, the team’s CEOs, have enjoyed competing on this team. “My favorite part is meeting all of the like-minded students who are interested in the same things I am,” said Smith. Cornelius agrees and adds that she enjoys seeing how robotics has impacted the lives of the other students. 

In addition, they have both learned new skills through this experience. “I’ve learned a lot about marketing,” said Smith. “Marketing is a huge aspect of Robotics, and with that I’ve learned a lot about public speaking. We have to talk to judges and to other teams, so it’s really helped with that.”

Cornelius adds, “During my time on the robotics team, I have learned how to work in a team and to be a leader. Robotics has taught me public speaking, communication, and problem-solving skills.”

However, the importance and value of lessons learned on the robotics team far exceeds winning competitions. “These students are learning skills that can be used in any industry,” said Henson. “They can put on their resume that they were a championship team member in an engineering competition. They also learn how to use their hands to build; communicate with adults to promote their ideas; work in a group under great pressure; and argue respectfully for their ideas. They learn that when you don't quit, you might win.”

The team has qualified for advancement to the South’s BEST Competition which will be held on December 2-4, at Auburn University.