CLINTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Nerd Herd, a group of South Vermillion Middle School robotics students, qualified for the third time for the Vex Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas, after three years of hard work.
WTWO reporter Jen Thompson introduced you to the Nerd Herd last year. It’s a small group of South Vermillion Middle School (SVMS) robotics students with sky-high pants and even higher hopes. They’re a year older and wiser, and the team is heading back to the VEX World Championships. But what they’ve built over the last three years goes far beyond robotics.
In a room filled with wires, wheels, and worktables at SVMS, something big is being built.
“Initially, they were shy,” Computer Science Teacher and Robotics Coach Maria Sellers recalled. “They’ve each become compassionate, empathetic, hardworking, and just in general, they could take all of those skills and go work in the industry, anywhere,” she added.
The hum of the robot in the classroom blends with teammates’ quick exchanges about time and mechanisms.
“It’s not as simple as it looks,” Colton Robertson, who is a robot driver and does strategy for the team, said. “It is very challenging,” he added.
It’s been three years since the Nerd Herd started piecing together bots and friendships.
“This year we’ve probably built around 10 robots,” Reed Taylor, who drives the robot and keeps track of their work in the team’s engineering notebook, said.
Eventually, the boys narrowed down which bot they’d take to the competition. With the help of their health teacher, the boys chose to name the robot “The Yeet Machine.”
“Because it ‘yeets the ball,” James explained.
Jonah Foltz is the robot builder, and he explained a big change in their latest bot. They doubled the number of motors on the machine.
“On this one, (The Yeet Machine) it has four motors,” he said. “Which means it’s a lot faster.”
What began with suspenders and sky-high pants is now a well-oiled machine, consisting of experience, teamwork, and pride.
“I feel like we’ve grown as a team because we’ve been able to communicate a lot more compared to previous years,” Taylor said. “It’s just awesome to see.”
The team has once again qualified for the Vex Robotics World Championship, reaching a goal they set as sixth graders, to do it three years in a row—an achievement that puts them in rare company.
The Vex Robotics World Competition, or “World’s” as the team calls it, is said to be the largest robotics competition in the world. It takes place in Dallas, Texas, in May.
“This year was really exciting because we were able to make it to second place and get an award for that,” Taylor said. “In previous years, we haven’t made it to the finals, so it’s just super exciting,” he added.
“They’ll be surrounded by teams from anywhere on the Asian Continent to somewhere in Europe to somewhere in the Middle East,” Sellers said. It’s incredible to see so many students doing exactly what they do right beside them.”
The growth of the team didn’t come easily. Hours were spent each day refining code, redesigning bots, and reworking strategy.
“We spend a lot of time and basically dedicate our lives to robotics,” Taylor said.
For the Nerd Herd, it’s all worth it.
“I’d like to be a mechanical engineer, and it helps me because I’ve learned so much about different mechanisms, like the PTO system, and gear ratios,” Colten James, who programs the bot, said. “I’ve just learned a bunch of skills that’ll help me in the future,” he added.
A group of students brought together by code and curiosity, now bonded by something even stronger. Because sometimes, what you build in Middle School lasts a lifetime.
“Nerd Herd in itself has become like a family,” Sellers said.
“We’ve had a really good coach that’s helped us evolve as we continue to be the best we can be,” James said.
The Nerd Herd will head to the World’s competition next month to compete against teams from around the globe, and they could use your help to get there. To help the South Vermillion Middle School Robotics team reach that goal, you can send a check to the school showing support for the team. Donations can be mailed to SVMS at 950 W Wildcat Dr. Clinton, IN 47842.
But no matter the outcome, this team has already won something that can’t be measured in points.
