Comox Valley robotics team to represent BC at Worlds competition

A local team of robotics enthusiasts, the 7842 Navigators, has won a coveted spot to compete against the best teams in the world this April.

The team, comprised of students from Navigate (formerly NIDES – North Island Distance Education School), recently competed at the B.C. Provincial Championships in Delta, where they achieved their spot at the Worlds by reaching the finals. Worlds will be held in Louisville, Kentucky on April 19.

“This has been our goal all year, and we can’t be prouder of our students,” says team coach Stew Savard. “This is an incredibly talented group of youths who all worked so hard throughout the year, and it’s so rewarding to see their efforts pay off with such a fantastic achievement.”

The 500 teams going to the Worlds include teams from the U.S., China, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Thailand, the UK, South Korea and many others, with the list growing as the March 13 registration deadline approaches.

The 7842 Navigators have been fundraising throughout the season in hopeful anticipation of earning a spot at the Worlds. Now that this has become a reality, the team has five weeks to fundraise for the expenses of sending five team members and their equipment to Louisville to compete.

“We’ve got a bottle drive coming up at the Comox Return Centre on March 18, and we’ve also set up a Go Fund Me page for online donations,” says Savard. “We’ve seen amazing support from our community throughout the season, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for helping us achieve our goal of participating at the Worlds this spring. Thank you so much!”

Donations of returnables can be dropped off at the Comox Return Centre located at 678 Anderton Road in Comox anytime on or before March 18, 2017, and donated to account #278. To arrange for pick-up of returnables or for more information, please email Shelly Stanchuk at shellyrae@shaw.ca.

Online donations to the team can be made at www.gofundme.com/2nt6mh8k .