FREDERICKSBURG, Va. –
Fredericksburg Christian School’s robotics team began preparing for their biggest competition of the year in October, two months before they even received their official robotics kits.
When they arrived at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division’s annual Innovation Challenge, the team quickly realized they would need to rethink their approach. The official scoring guide outlining mission objectives was not what they expected.
“We had no idea what the course would look like,” said Daniel Jett, a student at Fredericksburg Christian School. “The challenge was different than what we planned and coded for. We had to make a lot of modifications.”
That moment of recalculation set the tone for two days of rapid problem-solving, teamwork and persistence during NSWCDD’s Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren (IC@D), held Feb. 13–14 at the Fredericksburg Convention Center.
By the end of the competition, the team’s early preparation — and ability to pivot — paid off. Fredericksburg Christian School earned first place in the high school division after navigating a multi-phase robotics competition designed to mirror real-world engineering and defense challenges.
Nearly 30 teams from middle and high schools across the Fredericksburg region competed in the robotics challenge, working alongside world-class NSWCDD scientists and engineers to solve mission-based problems rooted in real defense scenarios.
“We all wanted to win this,” said Jett, holding the team’s robot, Frobo — a nod to Frodo from The Lord of the Rings. The team, calling themselves Lord of the Ping, had handed out 3D-printed “coins” emblazoned with the team name throughout the competition.
“In the beginning, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Jett said of the annual event. “It was a great experience working with a team. We all wanted to win this. This is such a rewarding finish.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Launched for high school students in 2022 and expanded to middle schoolers two years later, IC@D is part of Dahlgren Division’s broader commitment to building the next generation of scientists and engineers who will support national defense.
“We are excited to see your enthusiasm for STEM,” said NSWCDD Technical Director Shawna McCreary, SES, during opening remarks.
McCreary highlighted the lasting impact educators can have on students, sharing that her own path into engineering began with a teacher who sparked her interest in math and problem-solving.
“That’s why these events matter,” she said. “They help grow that passion.”
NSWCDD leadership emphasized that the Innovation Challenge is part of a broader effort to build a strong, future-ready STEM workforce in support of the Navy’s mission.
“We are a STEM workforce with a critical mission tied to national security,” said Dahlgren Division Chief Technology Officer Parker Page, SSTM. “STEM is essential not just to government, but to our nation as a whole.”
Built on Real-World Missions
This year’s challenge introduced a more complex structure, building on previous competitions, and added a new cybersecurity component that pushed students to think beyond mechanics and movement.
“The capabilities we deliver must be cyber secure,” said Michael Darnell, a lead systems engineer and STEM advocate at Dahlgren who designed the challenges. “That’s something we wanted students to experience this year.”
Preparation for IC@D begins months before competition day. Teams received robotics kits in December, along with teacher training and curriculum support, said NSWCDD STEM Director Tyler Truslow. Many teams met regularly to work on their builds and prep for the competition.
“They start with a box of parts,” Truslow said. “They know the fundamentals, but not the mission. When they get here, it’s about building, testing, failing, learning and adapting.”
That’s exactly what Fredericksburg Christian School did – and in the end, their ability to adapt, collaborate and persevere made the difference. And it was those qualities that are sought in the next generation of Navy innovators.
The team’s STEM coach, computer science teacher Heather Edge, was thrilled with what her students accomplished and grateful for the one-of-a-kind opportunity. In class, students must get to the correct answer as quickly as possible. Here, they got to take chances, to try, to fail, to try again.
“It’s incredible to see them work under pressure, encourage each other when something doesn’t go right, and celebrate when it does,” Edge said. “They’re taking real skills and putting them to the test.”
Additional Award Winners
Middle School Division
• 1st Place: Richmond County Elementary/Middle School and Fredericksburg Academy Team 1
• 3rd Place: A.G. Wright Middle School
High School STEM Program Awards
(Checks awarded by the Fredericksburg Regional Military Affairs Council)
• 1st Place: Fredericksburg Christian School
• 2nd Place: Academy of Technology and Innovation at UMW
• 3rd Place: Westmoreland High School
Esprit de Corps Award
• Spotsylvania High School