CMSD middle schoolers compete for state robotics competition [Video]

Game faces were on. Excitement was high. And play on the competition fields was fierce.

Inside the Arnold Pinkney East Professional Center in Cleveland on Wednesday, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Robotics League competed for the FIRST Technical Challenge Teams, a qualifier for state.

“This is like March Madness style play,” said Chelsey Kohn, director of the Tech Talent Pipeline for CMSD and Cleveland State University.

However, this specific event was the first for CMSD.

“We have never had a middle school robotics league before,” said Kohn.

CMSD has had competitive high school robotics teams for more than a decade. But now, thanks to sponsorship from Google and MAGNET locally, the district expanded to middle school this year.

“It is a lot of momentum, and we’re just excited it’s happening,” Kohn said.

News 5 has followed the growth of FIRST robotics at CMSD for years.

Robotics competition inspires new wave of local talent

Including …