Gladstone secondary school took home first and second place finishes at the VEX Robotics World Championship held in Anaheim, Calif. this weekend. The competition attracted 400 of the top high school robotics teams from around the world. It's the first time a Canadian team has earned the top spot. For "Robosavages," the winning team, the toughest competition came from their own classmates. After two days of qualifying rounds, teams formed alliances to enter the playoffs. The Gladstone team allied with teams from California and New Zealand, while their classmates and eventual opponents in the final allied with a team from Hawaii, and team "Exothermic Blaze," from Redmond, Wash. Each alliance advanced through divisional playoffs before meeting in the main arena in front of thousands of spectators. The double victory caps an exciting year for Todd Ablett, a Gladstone teacher and team sponsor, who received the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in November for his work developing Gladstone's robotics program. David Thompson secondary was also at the competition.
