![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Although Altadena and the Pacific Palisades were both devastated by the recent Los Angeles fires, the legacy and history of these two vibrant communities live on. Both counties were founded over a century ago — Altadena in 1887 and the Pacific Palisades in 1922 — and were home to over 60,000 people combined, including business owners, workers and residents. Altadena is a historically Black neighborhood in the San Gabriel foothills slightly north of Pasadena. It is best known for its eclectic architecture and specialized events, such as the Altadena Grape Harvest Festival. During the Great Migration of the 1900s, when six million Black individuals moved West to escape racial discrimination, many opted to live in Altadena because of its affordability, accessible resource centers and inclusive...
