Jacksonville schools repeat as best of class at SeaPerch Challenge

June 13, 2024

23 2 minutes read

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Two Duval County school robotics teams won top honors at the recent International SeaPerch Challenge, an invitation-only event where students build an underwater robot, compile technical reports on its workings and are tested on its design, maneuverability and control.

A total of 174 teams from across the world participated in the event at the University of Maryland, but teams from Mayport Coastal Science Middle School and River City Science Academy Mandarin took the middle school and high school first-place awards.

“When chants of Duuuuuuval came from not only our teams but others it was a pretty special moment I won’t forget,” said Chris Shanklin, Mayport’s head coach.

The Mayport Coastal Science Middle School Robotics Club Team Anglerfish's winning underwater robot at work.

The 14 sixth-, seventh-, eighth and ninth-grade students in Mayport’s Robotics Club entered three teams. Two of them won best overall awards — the Anglerfish as the 2024 Overall Middle School Class Champions and the Stingrays the 2024 Overall Open Class Champions.

Mayport’s Strawfish Pirates team also came in second for the Overall Open Class Standings. In open class, middle schoolers competed against high schoolers.

Meanwhile, River City Mandarin’s Team Aquarius — Justin Duke and Sam Pham — won first place in the high school competition. The school’s Team Ladies in Pink — Samantha Gude, Avelyn Jones and Kate Arnold — took home third place in the mission competition.

“The SeaPerch Challenge is an underwater robotics competition designed to engage students in hands-on STEM education while fostering innovation and teamwork,” River City Head Coach Janine Aleong said.

The competition “encourages hands-on learning, problem-solving and collaboration among students” and promotes career exploration in marine robotics, engineering and trades, she said. A River City team also won the high school champion award in 2023.

“On land, teams show off their engineering skills through technical papers and presentations. In the pool, they navigate their SeaPerch, an underwater robot, through a series of obstacles inspired by the real world,” according to a River City Mandarin Facebook post. “We are beyond proud of our students, coaches and parents for all of their hard work.”

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Shanklin has been volunteer head coach of the Mayport Robotics Club for eight years, beginning when his children first joined the club. Mayport teams won best overall or open class awards in 2022, 2023 and this year.

“We are very proud of the kids’ accomplishments. They practiced every Tuesday night and Saturday morning for the entire school year and didn’t complain once,” he said. “Watching them win as overall champion again was great, but seeing their development as young budding engineers, teammates and how they encourage and help other competitors is by far what we are most proud of.”

The Mayport Anglerfish team members are Gabriel Epps, Logan Schmucker, Emily Olson and Owen Collins. Stingrays team members are Asher Simon, Amelia Domondon, Cooper Caraway, Brody Rodriguez and Daniel Keith J. Shelton. The Strawfish Pirates are Darrell Keith J. Shelton, Maddox Knapp, Raphael Ruiz, Fazal Rehman and Olivia Chao.