Oyster River Middle School Students Represent Robotics Program at World Championships

DURHAM – Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps and Principal Bill Sullivan are pleased to share that two Oyster River Middle School robotics teams represented the school at the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship.

The VEX Robotics World Championship, which took place from May 6-14 in Dallas, Tex., is the largest robotics competition in the world, bringing together over 2,400 teams from more than 60 countries. 

After receiving high scores at the 2025 NH/VT Robotics State Championships, two Oyster River Middle School (ORMS) teams qualified to compete in the World Championship. 

Team 2820A, “Flying Cockroaches,” consisting of Grade 8 students Elizabeth Kong, Olivia Liu, Kaleigh Turcotte and Devon Wilson, won the Excellence Award in the state competition, meaning they were the best overall team based on interviews, documentation of engineering process and robot performance. 

Team 2820Y, “Kinetic Kaos,” with members Callan Haley (Grade 7), Rynn Haley (Grade 6), Westin Roberge and Will Weagle (Grade 7), were named Teamwork Champions at the state championship. 

At the World Championship, Team 2820A, “Flying Cockroaches” earned the Design Award. The Design Award honors teams that exhibit an organized and professional approach to the engineering design process, strong project and time management, and effective team organization. It’s awarded based on a team’s Engineering Notebook and Team Interview, which must both reflect a student-driven, iterative design process from concept to execution.

The award places the students among the top six teams in the world for excellence in the engineering design process. 

Team 2820Y, “Kinetic Kaos”, played energetically and placed 44th in their division, competing alongside teams from Canada, China, Ecuador, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.

“Our students did an excellent job representing Oyster River Middle School with skill, dedication, and professionalism,” said Principal Sullivan. “We are incredibly proud to see them compete and represent our robotics program in the World Championship.”

“It has been a privilege to watch our students grow through their involvement in our robotics program,” said Superintendent Shaps. “We are proud to celebrate their achievements and the passion they brought to this journey. I wish to thank Oyster River Middle School Robotics Club coaches Jade Terrill, Jason Duff, and Jay Derick for the guidance and encouragement they provided to our students throughout the season.”