The Twentynine Palms High School robotics team, known as the STEAMCats (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), surprised the competition and recorded their first robotics tournament win in school history and is going to the state championships. The SteamCats—and their counterparts in the junior high school—were ranked 22nd and 27th out of 29 teams that will be moving on to the next level of competition in Pomona in March. If the STEAMCats win there, they have a chance to qualify for the World Championships held in Louisville, Kentucky.
And the other half of the Steamcats competed in the first round of regional action last Saturday in the CyberPatriot Competition, a year-long online security challenge sponsored by the US Air Force. Last year, Twentynine Palms High School had one team that nearly qualified for the national tournament. This year, the Twentynine Palms CyberPatriots have assembled four teams, three of which have strong preliminary scoresTwo of this year’s teams scored higher in the first round than the inaugural team which finished in the 25 percent nationally last year.
