The middle school Robotics Team won a Research Award during a Jan. 28 competition at Roosevelt Elementary in Cocoa Beach, enabling to earn a bid to the state championship.

Seventh-grader Michael W. is excited about the prospects of going to State.

“We had to research a lot,” he said. “We contacted a lot of colleges to hear about what research they did and then gathered some of our own. The whole competition was really exciting and the best part was getting a trophy and a bid to State.”

Team manager and math teacher Jill Whitacre has been working with the team for three  months.

“It was very rewarding to see our team receive the Innovative Solution award,” she said. “The boys performed a very entertaining skit about their idea of how to solve the problem of salmonella cross-contamination between chicken and vegetables during meal preparation. I am extremely proud of how well the boys came together as a team and learned to put in the hard work it takes to earn a bid to the State Championship.”

Editor’s note: Brevard Public Schools policy prohibits the inclusion middle-school students’ last names on internet.