Strong finish for Knox Robotics at VEX Australian National Championships
At the weekend 33 students forming eight Robotics teams travelled to Adelaide to represent Knox at the VEX Robotics National Championships.
They were accompanied by Team Leader of Innovation Ian Fairhurst, Technology Facilitator K-6 Angus Fabian, TAS teacher Wenshuo Li, and Robotics Coach James Wainwright.
The Senior Team 78887B Knox Knights (Ethan He, Andrew Quah, Suveer Manav, Harry Tong [Absent], Young Yuan, Nathan Zhou, Derek Zhu) attended the event as the NSW undefeated state champions and ranked 3rd for Robotics Skills in Australia, and 9th in the Australian National Tournament. The team was awarded the VRC Think Award.
Team 78887A was a one-man team and Ian Yian Chen worked tenaciously to overcome many obstacles and successfully completed the entire tournament.
The Years 7 and 8 Middle School VRC teams performed impressively throughout the competition.
Team 1940A Shopping Trollee (Alvin Alford, Caspian Edwards, Jasper Liu, Zachary Tang) passed through the qualification rounds and into the Australian National Tournament Final Round of 16.
“In their first year of competing, this team’s effort has been truly commendable all season,” Mr Fairhurst said.
Team 1940B Poyo (Rafael Cheung, William Ge, Marcus Lin, Isaac Nguyen, Eric Wang, Alexander Xiang) had an incredible run, making it all the way through to the semi-finals.
The team received the Amaze Award and finished with a 3rd place ranking which is a testament to their enjoyment throughout the season and ability to give each opportunity their best effort throughout the tournament
The Years 5 and 6 Middle school VRCIQ teams’ hard work and dedication paid off with two teams making the finals.
Team 2076J Dyson (Andy Jiang, Lucas Ling [Absent], Ethan Wang, Patrick Wei) finished equally ranked in second place with a score of 95 in the finals.
Team 2076B High Q (Eugene Xu, Alastair Zhang, Lucas Zhang, Bob Zheng) recieved the Middle School Innovate Award.
Team 2076H LawnMower (Franco Fan, Aaron Li, Neil Patney, Ethan Xue) finished 9th place out of 40 in Robot Skills.
Our youngest team competed in the elementary division – Team 2067F (Paddy Alphandary, Archie Fairhurst, Edward Li and Thomas Norrie) received the Elementary School Innovate Award and came 5th in Robot Skills and 6th place out of 37 teams.
Mr Fairhurst said: “The teachers and coaches could not be prouder of how well the students conducted themselves and they were true ambassadors for the school representing the school values in all their interactions. Thank you also to all the Knox families that came to support and spectate during the matches.”
Mr Fairhurst was also awarded the VEX VIQRC Australian Teacher of the Year, given to teachers who demonstrate true leadership and dedication to their students.
Congratulations to all Robotics staff and students for a fantastic Nationals weekend.
12 August 2026
Staff and visiting guests gathered at Knox on 12 August for a Twilight Networking Event. Bringing leaders together for an evening of connection and conversation, attendees later heard from internationally bestselling author, former state champion boxer and business owner Luke Kennedy.
10 August 2026
Last Saturday’s final rounds in 2026 Winter Sport season marked the conclusion of another outstanding chapter in Knox Sport.
07 August 2026
“Visual Arts deepens our understanding of ourselves, our communities, and the world around us,” says Wendy Shearer (Visual Arts Teacher and Head of Department, Senior School). “Through creative practice, students explore ideas, communicate experiences, and develop personal ways of seeing and interpreting the world. Art becomes both a form of expression and a means of connecting across time, place, and culture.
