Congratulations to the Rock-A-Bots, whose Girl Powered Online Challenge entry made it to the final round to be considered for Worlds Championship!

The entry is entitled "Girls and Their Superpowers." The five student authors trace their journey from failure to victory. Here is an excerpt:

"We felt confident about our design, and we put in a lot of effort and hours. Our design was simple but worked. When the referee said, “Go!” we quickly found out we did not know how to use our super powers! Every match we scored under twenty points. Our first battle we got ten points, after that we thought we were ready for our second match which was a total disaster, we got zero points. We walked away with LAST place, and we felt powerless. When we got back to the portable we talked about our next game plan, and all of us thought it would work. We made a list of who was best at what skill, that was their super power."

Failure leads to iteration, which leads to success, the students said. Here are some reflections from the five students who are advancing to the world competition:

"Our robot? It's been through a lot. It's fallen off tables, it's been stepped on by shoes. It's had balls thrown at it. Everything you can imagine," Paisley Dennis said. "After we came in 32nd out of 32 in our first tournament, we knew we needed to make some major changes."- Paisley Dennis

"We completely redesigned the robot. We added the claw that picks up cubes, and we got rid of all the parts that were just getting in the way." - Kenzie McNeely

"We were frustrated, and we figured out how to identify and use each other's strengths. Mine is that I just stay calm, and that helps everyone else become calm, too." - Karen Adeluyi

"I am the builder. I find the right pieces, and I'm always building and thinking of ideas." - Jaylyn Ibarra

"Our teacher showed us so much about working as a team, and now we know exactly what our jobs are, and we are superorganized." -  Angelina Munoz

Teacher and coach Susanna Berrones said she's been amazed at the way the team has come together.

"I am just so impressed to see how they solve problems together and stick with it," she said. "What they have achieved is exciting, and it's all their work. I just stand back and support them. They own it."

We're proud of you, Rock-A-Bots!