Programs
Stakes Are High at Robotics Opener
This year’s VEX Robotics game – High Stakes – proved vexing indeed at the Vancouver Island high school season-opening competition hosted by Shawnigan Lake School last Saturday.
High Stakes has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most challenging games in the last several years. It requires teams to build a robot that can collect large plastic rings, place them on mobile stakes, and climb a central tower. This time, however, none of the teams managed to build a robot that was able to climb the tower.
Shawnigan entered two teams of senior students, and one of these teams – composed of Zoe C., John P., Kaho H., Christian W. and Eric H. – performed admirably, advancing to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by the team that ultimately finished in second place.
Meanwhile, junior members of the robotics program provided vital support by resetting the game field and assisting guests throughout the event. Inspired by the impressive robots on display, Shawnigan's teams are eager to return to their lab this week to refine their designs in preparation for the upcoming tournament in Comox.
Shawnigan is looking to send a team to the VEX Robotics World Championships for the third year in a row. The School sent teams to the world championships in Dallas in spring 2023 and 2024, with last year’s team finishing eighth out of 82 in its division, the best-ever result for Shawnigan and the best for any school from Vancouver Island in the last 10 years.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
