Irish American Partnership
Representing County Mayo and Ireland, the robotics club at St. Joseph’s Primary School in Ballinrobe flew to Dallas to compete in the VEX IQ Robotics World Championship this spring.
Having achieved a remarkable goal by winning the Robotics All-Ireland Championship held at Munster Technological University, Cork, the 5th class robotics team represented Ireland at the prestigious World Championships in early May.
This is the second year St. Joseph’s has taken part in the VEX IQ Robotics competition, which provides primary school pupils with an exciting engineering challenge presented in the form of a game, where students build innovative robots and compete year round.
In addition to learning valuable engineering skills, students gain life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, communication, collaboration, project management, and critical thinking.
The VEX Robotics competition prepares students to become future innovators, with 95% of participants reporting an increased interest in STEM subject areas and pursuing STEM related careers.
We never ever thought that a team from this West of Ireland rural community could qualify and get to this international event in Dallas. The Irish American Partnership has helped make dreams come true for the children and staff.
– Frances Burke, Chairperson – St. Joseph’s Primary School Board
The school’s fundraising included huge support from the local community – individuals, organizations, and businesses – and the Partnership was proud to join this group who came together to support a local school on the world stage.
