INDIANAPOLIS — Irvington Preparatory Academy’s (IPA) Robotics Team competed in the 3rd Annual Indy VEX Robotics Championship (IndyVRC) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Nov. 15 and 16. The Ravens went 6-2 during qualifying rounds and were part of a three-team alliance that captured the VEX Tournament Champion Award. Bishop Chatard High School and Providence Cristo Rey partnered with IPA in the winning effort. Forty-nine local high school teams participated. Remarkably, the IPA Robotics Team, comprised of 11 students, is in its first year, under the direction of Coach Andrew Mundell.
According to Mundell, the robots had two tasks: to build a tower out of interlocking cylinders and to lift hollow cubes onto the constructed tower and other posts around the game field. Mundell, who also teaches mathematics at Irvington Prep, says, “We are especially proud of our accomplishment given it’s our rookie year.” His competitive nature showing, he adds, “I should point out that our robot consistently scored cubes on the highest towers. We are glad to make the Ravens proud!” The Irvington team also took the CREATE AWARD for having a robot that incorporated a creative engineering solution to the design challenges of the game.
