Slideshow celebrating the first 10 years of the Oak Park Education Foundation VEX Robotics program

1. In 2005, OPEF started the first
middle school VEX Robotics
program in Illinois.

2. The first 6 years of our program we designed our own challenge
game and used a PVC pipe and plywood arena!

3. In 2007-2008, we added our first autonomous challenge, in which robots were
programmed to move by themselves using sensor input. . .

4. . . . The challenge game was called Variable Maze.

5. In 2009, we began our
High School Mentor
program, in which
graduates of our
program come back
to mentor
team members.

6. For the 2010-2011 season, we designed for
the national challenge game for the first time.

7. In 2010, we designed for the national
challenge game for the first time.
We also used an official arena for the first time. No more PVC pipes!

8. In 2010, we designed for the national
challenge game for the first time.
In 2011, we participated
for the 1st time in a
regional competition.
We were still the
only middle school
VEX Robotics program
in Illinois.

9. In the summer of 2012,
we set out to help create
other middle school VEX
Robotics teams in Illinois.
We began networking
with other schools and
providing free advice,
support and training for
new VEX Robotics teams.

10. There were finally
other VEX Robotics
middle school teams
in Illinois!
Five of them joined us
at our Battle of the Bots
Scrimmage in
February, 2013.

11. In May 2013, we hosted the first Robotics Workshop for Girls.

12. In 2013, the OPEF VEX staff won the Illinois State Board of Education
Those Who Excel Team Award of Merit for excellence in education.

13. By 2014, there were 37 middle school VEX Robotics teams in Illinois, enough
to make our Battle of the Bots the 1st qualifying MS tournament in the state.

14. The 1st Illinois State Championship was also held in 2014.

15. With start of the 2014-2015 season, there were 120 students on 24 teams.
Girls made up 29% of our program!

16. In our first 9 seasons, our program served over 700 students!

17. It’s 2015-2016 and
our 10th anniversary season.
Our program now has:
• 134 students
• 34% of which are girls.
We also have 25 High school mentors.
There are 58 middle school VEX
Robotics teams Illinois.
This year our students will attend 5
competitions—all middle school only.
And for the first time there will be an
Illinois Middle School State
Championship.