Villa Park High School and Cerro Villa Middle School Join Forces to Place in Robotics Competition

ORANGE, CA — April 21, 2016 — Cerro Villa Middle School and Villa Park High School allied to win third place in the Vital Link VEX Robotics Competition this past Saturday at the 2016 STEM & the Arts Career Showcase, part of OC Fairgrounds’ Imaginology event.

The Cerro Villa team consisted of David Camp, Mathew Jelensky Jenna Achtien, Armaan Chopra, and Ryan Tripi, led by Cerro Villa STEM teacher Dan Baker. The Villa Park team consisted of David Huynh and Gino Angiuli, led by Derek Arnell, the STEM Lab teacher at Villa Park High School.

At the robotics competition, Villa Park’s team qualified for the finals and chose Cerro Villa’s team as their ally. The two teams worked very well together in the ring and collaboratively fought their way into third place among other, more experienced teams.

"We went from the jaws of defeat to a place among the winners thanks to the loyalty and friendship of the Villa Park team," said Baker. "Derek Arnell and the Villa Park team were unwavering in their support for us even when they saw us listed in last place.  We are grateful to all of them for the opportunity to make such a comeback."

This was Villa Park High School’s first robotics event. The win comes after only one month of preparation, as both schools won a VEX robotics kit from Vital Link in mid-March.

The 2016 STEM & the Arts Career Showcase is a collaboration of corporate, education, and non-profit sponsors and exhibitors coming together to create an engaging and interactive career exploration experience emphasizing careers in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and the arts. The showcase, held in partnership with OC Fair Imaginology, is focused on providing students with opportunities to explore, discover, and connect to their future careers.  (vitallinkoc.org)