WHEREAS, the Blacksburg High School robotics team placed second at the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship in March 2018 and secured a berth to the 2018 World Championship; and

WHEREAS, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is the premier high school engineering competition, where teams of students work with teachers, mentors, and volunteers to conceptualize, design, build, and program a robot to participate in a unique competition; and

WHEREAS, while teams receive a kit of common core parts, no two robots are the same, and teams like Blacksburg High School's Team 401 Copperhead Robotics hone their strategies in district matches to advance to a district championship; and

WHEREAS, at the Chesapeake District Championship in Maryland, the Blacksburg High School robotics team faced worthy competitors on more than 120 other teams from throughout the Commonwealth, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, the Blacksburg High School robotics team's unique entry earned second place in the competition, winning the Judges Award and Trophy; and

WHEREAS, as the district championship runners-up, the Blacksburg High School robotics team finished sixth overall in the district rankings and represented the Blacksburg community and the Commonwealth at the 2018 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Detroit, Michigan; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Blacksburg High School robotics team hereby be commended on placing second at the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship in 2018; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Blacksburg High School robotics team as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the team's achievements and best wishes for the future.