Update: Woodson High School finished 35th in the Galileo Division; Madison High School finished 37th in the Carver Division; and Oakton High School finished 38th in the Newton Division. 

Congratulations to Madison, Oakton, and Woodson high schools' FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics teams who are headed to the World Championships in Houston April 20-22. All three schools competed at the regional championship held recently in Hampton Roads.

FIRST® Robotics Competition teams (which include adult mentors) are given six weeks to design, program, and build a robot starting with a standard kit of parts and common set of rules to play in a themed head-to-head challenge. This year's challenges included having the robot climb ascending monkey bars. 

In addition to learning about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), students that participate in the FIRST competition learn financial management, teamwork, conflict resolution, leadership, and communication.