On April 12, the North Cross middle school robotics team won the Virginia State KidWind Challenge at James Madison University. As the champions in their age group, they will now compete at the World KidWind Challenge in Phoenix, AZ on May 18-21.
The North Cross team’s winning project for the hands-on KidWind Challenge, a design competition where students showcase their small-scale wind turbines and solar structure designs, involved enhancing the school’s chicken coop—home to four happy hens. To encourage more prolific egg laying and improve classroom access to the chickens, the students added a water filter and heater, solar panels, batteries, a charge controller, and multiple cameras. Now, North Cross students can even watch the chickens through a livestream. As the “Robotic Raiders,” the team of 10 students will advance to the World Competition, where they will compete against teams from across the U.S., Asia, and Mexico.
In advance of their trip to Phoenix, the robotics team will give a 20-minute presentation on their project to North Cross students and faculty on May 12 at 8:15 a.m. The event will take place on campus in Fishburn Auditorium. It is not open to the public, but the media are welcome.
“It’s been truly exciting and inspiring to witness the incredible success of this robotics team,” remarked North Cross Middle School Robotics Coach Zack DeMoss. “Especially considering they formed just eight months ago and were completely new to competition. We’re so proud of their dedication, putting in hard work on their project even through cold winter weekends. Their ingenuity and the sheer joy they find in the challenge have really driven them forward. And the best part? The solutions they’ve conceptualized and built have tangible, real-world applications they can actually see.”
About North Cross School
North Cross School is an independent, nonsectarian school serving students in early childhood through 12th grade from across the Roanoke Valley, the region, and the world.
Our mission is to inspire a community of intellectually curious learners to think critically, act with integrity, and lead with courage.
