15-05-2025
Prestigious US award for Tullamore school's robotics team
An all-female robotics team from Tullamore in Co Offaly have won the prestigious Judges Award at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas.
The team from the Sacred Heart Secondary School includes students Emily Thunder, Jasmine Matsushita, Rachel Ebenezer, Alice Duffy, and Olivia Hoey and their teachers Ms Sindy Meleady and Ms Aisling Bourke.
The VEX Robotics programme is a series of competitions and educational resources targeted at encouraging young students to learn Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) concepts, with different levels for various age groups including VEX IQ for younger students and VEX V5 for older minds.
Earlier this week "The Steminists" received a message of support from President of Ireland Michael D Higgins.
In the letter of support, President Higgins encouraged the students to "deepen your inquiry, and to remain steadfast".
"In demonstrating such outstanding skill in engineering, coding, design, and strategy, your success to date is a testament to the power of curiosity, dedication, creativity, and teamwork.
"It also serves as a powerful reminder of the immense potential that lies in the minds and hands of our young people, particularly young girls, when given the opportunity to engage with science, technology, engineering and mathematics."
