This weekend, students from several Lawrence County schools took part in the Vex robotics competition at the Memorial Student Center at Marshall University in Huntington.

The teams were comprised of those in the STEM education classes in the Project Lead the Way program through Collins Career Technical Center.

Coordinated by Collins satellite director Matt Monteville, the students spent much time preparing for the annual event.

Students were asked to design and build robots with the task of stacking multiple cones, when operated in the competition ring.

Montevelle said the students had a successful event on Saturday, with Chesapeake, South Point and Rock Hill teams taking part in the semi finals, with South Point making into the finals.

The Project Lead the Way program offers science, technology, engineering and math education to students in all but one of Lawrence County’s school districts, providing students with an innovative, hands-on education in a nontraditional classroom setting.

The high paying jobs of tomorrow will be in these fields, and programs like those offered by Collins, as well as the unaffiliated STEM+M school in South Point, will better prepare students for these positions, giving them a head start on a thorough education.

We congratulate the Project Lead the Way teams for their good showing on Saturday, and commend Monteville and instructors for organizing such an opportunity for students, which gives them a chance to put their skills into practice and serves as an invaluable learning experience for them.