Avenues São Paulo Students Participate in National Robotics Tournament

Today, the entirely student-led team is made up of 15 members and has touched the lives of more than 40 Avenues students from 8th to 12th grade. It meets every day after school to design and build software. It has also begun participating in state- and national-level robotics competitions.

The team is currently Rio de Janeiro state champion, having won in two categories at the Rio de Janeiro stage of the SESI Robotics Tournament in 2022.

In 2023, they went on to participate in the national stage of the SESI tournament, held in Brasília in May. In preparation, the team developed a robot from scratch to participate in the national stage of the tournament. The Avenues team was the only one from São Paulo to compete.

The SESI Robotics Tournament  is the largest of its kind in Brazil. Competitors are challenged to find solutions to energy-related problems.  Students must apply the concepts of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) to create innovative projects, in addition to building and programming robots to complete specific missions. SESI (Serviço Social da Indústria), or the Brazilian Industrial Social Services, is a non-profit group, established in 1946 to promote social welfare and cultural development, and improve the lives of workers throughout Brazil.

One of the ways Avenues encourages students to pursue their passions is by supporting them to create their own clubs. Across Avenues’ five campuses, there are currently 136 student clubs and affinity groups. Clubs range from Model United Nations to Knit & Crochet Club to Lego League; affinity groups include the Black Student Union, Jewish Culture Club and the Asian and Pacific Islander Affinity Group.