First aerial drone competition held in the MS Delta
The first aerial drone competition to occur in the Mississippi Delta was held in February at O’Bannon High School in Greenville. Four schools from the area competed: Coleman, Leland, O’Bannon and T.L. Weston.
According to Rodney Williams, regional support specialist for aerial drone competitions, there are currently four hundred teams competing nationally in aerial drone competitions.
Leland School District’s two teams ranked in the top fifty regionally. Team 38756B ranked 170th in the world and 30th in the southeast regional; and team 38756A ranked 238th in the world and 42nd in the southeast regional.
This ranking qualifies them to travel to Lexington, South Carolina, to compete in the Southeastern Regional Championship that will be held in April.
“Our young people have embarked upon a talent that will not only prepare them for future opportunities in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture/Arts, Math) academics and careers, but will also boost their confidence as they matriculate through middle school….and abroad,” stated Mashondia S. Wells, director of programs. “Our young people are receiving exposure, hands-on exper-ience, and skills, such as problem solving, analytical thinking, programming, com-munication and teamwork, to prepare them for success.”
In addition to their regional qualification, Leland qualif-ied as Teamwork Tournament Champions.
