Students on the McCallum High School robotics team have qualified for an international robotics competition that brings together the best robotics teams in the world to compete and work together using engineering skills.

The McCallum team will be among more than 600 teams competing at the VEX Robotics World Championship this April in Anaheim, Calif.

McCallum’s robotics team qualified for the event after winning the Regional VEX Robotics Competition Dec. 21 in Houston. The team initially finished the qualifying rounds in fifth place out of 45 teams, earning them a spot in the finals. VEX Robotics matches are played in alliances, and the McCallum team chose teams from Mexico and Clear Lake, Texas, to work with in the final rounds. They progressively worked their way through hard-fought matches in quarterfinals and semifinals with their alliance partners, and eventually became tournament champions.

The McCallum team also won the competion’s Design Award, which is given to a team that demonstrates an organized and professional approach to the design process, project management, time management and team organization.

In preparation for the world championship competition, the McCallum team is continuing to compete with competitions in San Antonio in January and Austin in February.

The McCallum Robotics Team includes: Aidan Moyers (junior), Brian Knippa (senior), Ben Vetters (senior) and Dexter Becklund (junior). The team is sponsored by engineering design teacher Audrea Moyers.