World Champions

I had the opportunity to meet the next generation of roboticists, mathematicians and engineers on Sunday August 25 when the X Academy “Hephaestus Robotics” high school team celebrated their 3rd place finish at the MATE ROV World Championship. Joining the celebration were Dr. Faris Sabbah, County Superintendent of Schools as well as proud parents, supportive teachers and mentors. The team’s stories of their failures and wins, engineering and design prowess and hard work was inspiring. Staff of Congress Members Jimmy Panetta and Zoe Lofgren and California Assembly Member Gail Pellerin presented certificates of recognition.

Motivated by the need for STEM enrichment for their son Andrew and students like him, software engineer Tim Sylvester at Joby and community organizer Barbara Meister, created X Academy in 2014, volunteering to host Math Circles like those offered in Silicon Valley, where college professors introduce creative problem solving to middle school math-loving students on Saturday mornings at Cabrillo College. When the pandemic shuttered classrooms, Tim rolled up his garage door to launch the underwater robotics program, laying the foundation for this year’s 3rd place in the world finish! Now Tim is teaching a 3-hour robotics class at Santa Cruz COE’s Sequoia High School in Watsonville for students who have weekend work and family obligations, removing barriers to STEM opportunities.

Get Involved

Celebrating their 10th anniversary, X Academy is gearing up for a new season of math and robotics. The Math Circle, for students grades 5th through 8th, will begin in October and run through November on Saturday mornings 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Cabrillo College. Get on the mailing list!

In partnership with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, X Academy invites students from all high schools to check out the Santa Cruz COE - X Academy Robotics Clubs at upcoming Open Houses on Saturday, September 7 at Sequoia High School in Watsonville at 229 Green Valley Road and on Sunday, September 8 at X Academy’s Maker Space in Santa Cruz at 229 Encinal St. Club meetings are weekly from 1:00 to 4:00 pm beginning on September 28 in Watsonville and September 29 in Santa Cruz. And they are seeking mentors with marketing, engineering, and project management experience to prepare the next generation!