STUDENTS from Kinsale Community School achieved remarkable international success at the VEX VRC World Championships held in St Louis last week by picking up three awards.

Competing against more than 860 of the world’s top robotics teams, the students distinguished themselves in one of the most competitive global showcases of engineering and innovation.

Represented by four teams, Kinsale Community School secured two Judges Awards and one Energy Award, an exceptional achievement at this level of competition.

The Energy Award recognises teams that bring enthusiasm, spirit, and positivity to the event. Kinsale students stood out for their consistently high energy, helping to create an engaging and vibrant atmosphere throughout the competition.

The Judges Awards honour teams that demonstrate excellence in effort, teamwork, communication, and professionalism.

The Kinsale teams were recognised for their resilience, strong collaboration, and impressive student-led approach during both interviews and competitive matches.

Assistant principal Eddie Farren said it is an amazing achievement to win these awards. ‘Over the previous eight years, we had won three awards in total—two Community Awards and one Energy Award—so to double that in such a short space of time is surreal. The students have demonstrated outstanding commitment, teamwork, and resilience throughout the season and at the event itself. VEX Robotics has become a central pillar of our school, providing opportunities for students to collaborate with like-minded peers through our Junior Cycle Short Course, lunchtime robotics club, Transition Year module, and senior cycle teams that meet after school.’

In addition to their competitive success, Kinsale Community School was also recognised for its wider contribution to robotics. As an official Event Partner of VEX Robotics, the school hosts competitions and actively supports the development of robotics at both local and national levels. In recognition of this work, the school was awarded a $2,000 grant from Eaton to support future events.

The students who represented the school in St Louis were: Joshua Smyth, Alex Smyth, Peter Leahy, Conor Galvin, Oscar Green, Grace Kelleher, Faiz Zakri, Dylan Sadler, Fintan Tuohy, Liam Riordan, Eoin Condon, Amelie Zerwes, Mara Siefert, and Aisling Lynch.