Texas School for the Deaf hosted the first NRSC VEX IQ Tournament on February 6th - 9th. There were 24 teams from 15 different states who participated in this event for Middle School Students. TSD had 3 teams from 7th grade who won a combined total of four awards, including Robot SKill Champions, Teamwork Champions, The "Amaze Award" for building an amazing, high-scoring robot that demonstrated high overall quality, and the prestigious "Design Award for implementing the most effective and efficient robot design process and excellent engineering notebook work. All the students had a great time at this exciting three-day event!

The winners were as follows:
Robot Skills CHAMPION - Alen and Tyler
Teamwork CHAMPION - Alen and Tyler
Amaze Award - Alen and Tyler
Design Award - Jasmine and Niven
Volunteer of the Year Award - Alma

Zachary H., Mark H., Marion W., Dillon H., Robert S., Gerry R., Israel M., Adiel R., Eric N., and Corbin B. have made TSD history!  These students taking Richard Layton’s Welding Technology class earned their federal OSHA-10 Construction and Health Certificates.  This is the first group of Rangers to take and pass the rigorous safety course and exam, which is now a requirement of students participating in the dual-credit course offered in partnership with TSD and Austin Community College.  It will be a huge asset to the students in terms of enhancing their employability skills, as they now have a head start on meeting national safety standards in the welding industry.  This is no small feat, as it took an average of 18+ hours for each student to complete the certification requirements.  Be sure to congratulate them for their efforts!