CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Katelyn Luu and Claire Adcock, nine-year-old students at Spring Run Elementary in Chesterfield County, won top prize for their age group in the 2017-2018 Wonder League Robotics Competition. More than 22,000 students, ages 6 to 12, participated in the international competition which utilized students computer coding and robotics skills to solve challenges.
The girls learned about their big win during a surprise announcement at school Wednesday.
"I am so proud of both of the girls," Claire's mom Katie Adcock said. "We knew they were smart, but it's mind blowing how smart the two of them are."
"She can do anything she sets her mind to," Katelyn's mom Kari Luu added.
The girls' team -- Husky Power -- was one two all-girls team to win for their age group.
Husky Power won $5,000 grant from educational robotics maker Wonder Workshop.
The girls have been working in the competition since September, spending time together after school and on weekends.
"The Wonder League Robotics Competition provides teams of students the opportunity to cultivate problem-solving skills while developing a growth mindset," spokesman Thomas Rodgers said. "The 2017-2018 competition began in September 2017 with three rounds of “missions.” Each mission involved three story-based challenges of escalating difficulties to create a team-based experience. The top teams were invited to compete in a final round during March and April 2018."
"We started the Wonder League to provide parents and teachers an opportunity to introduce computer science in a fun and engaging way. It is inspiring to see the number of teams
participating in the competition grow from 1,200 to more than 7,100 in only three years," Vikas Gupta, CEO and co-founder of Wonder Workshop, said. "Through the competition, students
develop the fundamental skills of critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork by completing hands-on activities."
Ages 6-8 Winning Teams:
1. Husky Power – Chesterfield, Virginia
2. Space Guardians – Taoyuan, Taiwan
3. Happy Yoder – Taipei, Taiwan
4. Debugging Zebras – Champaign, Illinois
5. Vetri – San Jose, California
Ages 9-12 Winning Teams:
1. Code Crackers – West Newbury, Massachusetts
2. STA Space Raiders – San Francisco, California
3. The Technology Trio – Jacksonville, Florida
4. DinoMax – Duncan, South Carolina
5. Galactic Girls – San Francisco, California
