UT Tyler University Academy – Longview Students Recognized at Region 7 Robotics Competition

May 28, 2024 | Hannah Buchanan

Two teams of elementary and middle school students at The University of Texas at Tyler University Academy – Longview campus were recognized at this year’s Region 7 Education Service Center’s robotics competitions for Grades 4-8. Fourth grader Jaxon King and fifth graders Brody Fleming, Ian Bronsema and Luke Medley placed third in the Grades 4-5 Bonus Challenge. Sixth graders Colyn Hart and Greyson McClung placed third in the Grades 6-8 Bonus Challenge. Nearly 60 teams from more than 10 East Texas schools competed this year in both Main Event and Bonus Challenges.

During the Bonus Challenge, teams are presented a problem and given an hour to build and code
their robot and solve the tasks. Students must prove the ability to think quickly and remain flexible. At the UA, students are offered to participate in competitions like this through the Robotics Club.

“I am very proud of the effort all these students put forward, and the time they dedicated to
practicing after school and on Club Fridays,” said Milton Marshall, UA-Longview elementary science
teacher, who coached both teams. “I look forward to seeing them excel as we expand our
participation in robotics events in the future.”

Region 7 ESC serves 95 school districts and seven charter schools in 17 East Texas counties. For
additional information, visit esc7.net/.

The UT Tyler University Academy is a K-12 public university laboratory charter school with
campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine. UT Tyler UA offers STEM curriculum in a hands-on
learning environment. The district currently serves more than 1,000 students. For more
information, visit uttua.org/.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT
Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students.
Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has
unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent
patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World
Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.