Westbrook Intermediate Prepares for 'Crossfire' Robotics Competition

HOUSTON, Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After a late start due to Hurricane Harvey, the Westbrook Intermediate Robotics Engineering Division (WIRED) is hard at work preparing for this year's BEST USTEM regional robotics competition that will occur on November 11^th, 2017. Located in the Bay Area of Houston, Westbrook Intermediate School is home to the WAVE GT magnet in the Clear Creek Independent School District. The BEST robotics competition invites intermediate and high school robotics teams to compete in a scenario using a robot they design and build from scratch, using only the consumable materials given to them at the competition kick-off.

Sponsored by the BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) organization, the competition is dedicated to educating future engineers, scientists, and technical professionals through participation in an annual robotics competition. This year's game, entitled Crossfire, is a fire rescue themed game, requiring the teams to build a robot capable of rescuing a person, retrieving chemical drums and putting out a simulated fire, all within a 3:00 minute timeframe. Teams from around the country participate in the competition in their regions, with winners attending state level competitions.

Last year, WIRED won the 1st place BEST award at the Houston USTEM competition. The award is scored based on teamwork, sportsmanship, creativity, positive attitude/enthusiasm, school/community involvement and outreach, and application of the engineering design process as evidenced in the engineering notebook. 

The students do the work under the watchful eye of their faculty advisor and dedicated mentors:  Mrs. Pfeifer, Mr. Knerr, and Mr. Quiocho.  When asked about what students get from WIRED, Mrs. Pfeifer replied, "They learn to apply engineering principles, math, and problem solving skills to fabricate parts. In the workshop, girls and boys learn to use manual and power tools to turn plywood, PVC, string, motors, etc. into a working robot. I hope that they take something from this experience as they go into a STEM field in high school, college and beyond." WIRED has been very successful and Mrs. Pfeifer attributes this to "learning from previous years, having mentors and faculty advisors who come back year after year."

Mr. Les Quiocho, an Engineer from NASA was asked why he volunteers his time. Mr. Quiocho replied, "I find it very rewarding to listen to all of the ideas that come from our diverse team of students. I hope that they learn that engineering is important. I also hope that they get inspired to get a job in the STEM field." Another mentor, Mr. Steve Knerr, who works for ExxonMobil, had children in the program years ago and stayed on as a volunteer. He credits the success of the program to, "A lot of it is dedicated kids. They are very hard working, smart, and stay focused. Also, we are very lucky to have supportive parents, without them WIRED would not be what it is today."

For more information, please visit our website at www.ccisd-wired.com or find and like us on, Instagram (WIREDROBOTICS), YouTube (WIREDROBOTICS) and Twitter (@404Wired).

Contact: Lisa Pfeifer
Westbrook Intermediate School
Phone 281.284.3800
[email protected]

SOURCE Westbrook Intermediate School

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