Earlier this month, several Pasadena ISD robotic students teamed up to compete as Team 231 High Voltage, the district's robotics team. As they competed in various competitions, preparation came at a quick pace.
Led by Pasadena ISD robotics sponsor Kada Lamas, the team has exhibited exceptional growth from start to finish of the 2023-2024 school year. They started with an intense six weeks of designing, building, and executing a robot with specific specifications and tasks at the First Robotics Competition (FRC) earlier in the school year.
As students from 4 different Pasadena ISD high schools took on the challenges of their first FRC, the narrative became to win. This past February, Team 231 competed in the FIT (First in Texas) Katy Event, where they finished in second place overall and earned the Creativity Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation.
Next, the team competed at the FIT Space City Event in March, finishing third overall but taking home a special recognition, The Quality Award, which secured their spot in the 2024 FIT State Robotics Competition.
Tensions were elevated, and the excitement was clear; last week, Team 231 competed in one of the hardest brackets, the Mercury Division. Coming to a tie through most of the competition, they exhibited quality, intricate techniques, and an innovative robot that could do it all. Despite the challenges of the competition, Pasadena ISD Robotics still went home with a third-place finish.
Through students' determination, technical advantages, and much more, Pasadena ISD is currently ranked 15th out of 270 teams in Texas.
Although Team 231 has continued to be an impactful force through competitions and is the only district division team that’s ranked with the highest robot scores over several competitions, they have yet to earn a division or district win title.
However, a change became apparent as robotics students have prepared for the most sought-after annual event the FRC World Championships that occurred Wednesday, April 17th – Saturday, April 20th, at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Emotions were high, with representatives from over 60 nations, including Europe, Canada, Mexico, Turkey, Israel, China, and Brazil, attending the championship and only having eight total divisions. Team 231 had the motivation and the passion to take home the top prize for the district.
With 3500 active team entries and only 600 teams qualifying for world championships, Pasadena ISD is proud to announce Team 231 not only qualified but also made it to the alliance selection and closed out the tournament in 14th place in their division—a stellar performance done by talented students achieving all forms of STEM.
For teams preparing for this highly elaborate and competitive championship, the draw from top to bottom provides a unique platform where intellect, passion, and determination connect artistically with the curriculum of science and technology. This Is STEM exemplified, and Team 231 aims to boost the presence of Pasadena ISD robotics.
To learn more about all students involved in the past tournaments take a look below:
Hugo Barrios 10 - PMHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Francisco Chang 11 PMHS – Programmer
Oscar Diaz 12 - PMHS – Electrical
Marco Juarez 11- PMHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Vinh Nguyen 11 - PMHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Ashly Rodriguez 10 - PMHS – Electrical and Photography
Gianni Villarreal - 12 - PMHS – Electrical and Pit Boss
Marvin Cardoza Hernandez 09 - PHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Ricardo Gomez 12 - DHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Malcolm Sherwood 12 - DHS – Programmer and Human Player
Judith Acosta 12 - CTHS – Scout Lead and Mechanical
Melanie Amador 09 - CTHS – Scout Team and Spirit
Aaron Arredondo 12 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Alexis Castillo 12 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Anthony Chapa 12 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Heli Contreras 12 - CTHS – Scout Lead and Mechanical
Tomas Garcia 11 - CTHS –Team Captain, Driver and CAD
Abraham Guillen 09 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Alexander Hernandez 09 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Eduardo Hernandez 10 - CTHS – Drive System
Emily Hernandez 11 - CTHS – Operator and Mechanical
Henry Hong 09 - CTHS – Mechanical
Karolyn Jaime 11 - CTHS – Team Leader and Intake
Kiera JnLouis 10 - CTHS – Scout Lead and Mechanical
Steven Moreno 12 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Ayden Munoz 10 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Ramon Perez 12 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Romana Rodriguez 09 - CTHS – Scout Team and Spirit
Abiel Salinas 10 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Gael Salinas 09 - CTHS – Scout Team and Mechanical
Lilibeth Sanchez 09 - CTHS – Scout Team and Spirit