Tafuna High School’s JROTC Robotics team shines in national competition

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Governor Pulaali’i Nikolao Pula visited Tafuna High School this week to honor the reigning 8th Brigade VEX Robotics Tournament Champions and Excellence Award winners Team 21111A and wish its Drone Team 96799B, the best of luck and safe travel as they depart for their Reno, Nevada competition on February 17.

Accompanied by the DOE Director Maefau Dr. Mary Taufetee, Deputy Director Dr. Roxanne Salavea, Deputy Director Dr. Teresa Atuatasi, AD Dottie Tuisamatetele, Principal Tutuila Togilau and the Director of Army Instruction, COL (Ret.) John Tulifua and members of the Governor’s Staff, the visit started with the achievements of the JROTC robotics team.

Team 21111A made history as the first JROTC team in American Samoa to be crowned Tournament Champions and earn the prestigious Excellence Award at the Inaugural 8th Brigade Robotics competition in San Diego, CA.

THS JROTC Task Force Commander c/COL Ladenia Lavata’i, gave the governor a brief presentation of the VEX Robotics program and an introduction to the team members. The head-to-head tournament exhibition, mirroring the intensity of an actual VEX Robotics World Championship match showcased the skills and teamwork of the victorious THS team.

Governor Pula congratulated the students on their win, praising their dedication, innovation, and representation of American Samoa. He specifically mentioned Francis and Emanuele Ah Vui, who were not present but who MAJ Galoia gave credit for designing, engineering, and building the original competition robots for both teams, helping, with their teammates to lead each team to earn qualifications for the JROTC VEX Robotics Nationals.

The governor was impressed by the innovation of both Francis and Emanuele Ah Vui, and also with the autonomous portion of the Robotics match, which allowed the robot to move without a human operator. The programmer behind the autonomous movement of the robot, Filiga Tufa, helped lead her team to win their autonomous win matches in San Diego, CA, and together with drivers Francis Ah Vui and Olaitalosaga Sauvao, their auton and driver scores combined helped Team 21111A win five out of six of their qualification matches as well as the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches with Team Enigma from St. Louis High School in Hawaii.

The Tournament Champion award is given to the team alliance that wins the final match in the elimination bracket, signifying the competition's overall winner. The Excellence Award, however, is the highest honor a single team can receive, recognizing exceptional performance across all aspects of the competition, including robot design, programming, teamwork, interviews, and engineering notebooks. Winning both awards is a testament to Team 21111A’s well-rounded excellence and commitment to their craft.

Both VEX Robotics teams, 21111A, and 21111B, earned the Skills Champion Award early in the game’s season, setting the tone for their success. Team 21111A’s recent win secured them the #1 ranking in the entire 8th Brigade, while Team 21111B ranked an impressive #5. 8th Brigade announced last week that they will fully fund five cadets per team to the Nationals in Dallas, Texas, which will take place from May 9-11, 2025.

MEET THE CHAMPIONS

● c/MAJ Filiga Tufa: Team Captain and Primary Python Programmer responsible for the robot’s autonomous programming, which played a critical role in their match wins.

● c/CSM Francis Ah Vui: Co-Captain, Primary Designer, Engineer, Builder, and Driver, who designed and built the robot’s drive train, mogo mechanism, and intake system.

● c/First Lieutenant Olaitalosaga Sauvao: Assistant Designer, Robot Builder, and Driver who supported the team’s design and driving efforts.

● c/Corporal Penaia Tinitali: Assistant Programmer, Builder in Training, and Backup Driver who contributed to the team’s programming and building efforts.

● c/Sergeant Josephine Stanley: Journalist for the Engineering Notebook, Logistics Officer, and Equipment Manager, who ensured the team’s documentation and organization were top-notch.

Additionally, Cadet Sergeant First Class Matthias Mamea did not attend the competition in San Diego, but played a vital role as the Primary Journalist, organizing and documenting the team’s Engineering Notebook.

The team’s Engineering Notebook and Team interview were key factors in securing the Excellence Award. It detailed their roles, responsibilities, programming, game strategy, and robot designs, while their professionalism and knowledge during judge interviews further solidified their win. A massive credit to both journalists for the Engineer Notebook, Josephine Stanley and Matthias Mamea, for their considerable contributions to the notebook’s organization and content management. In addition, Penaia Tinitali and Olaitalosaga, along with their teammates, played essential roles during the interview, assisting the team in securing the highest performance awards at the competition.

Team 21111A’s collective contributions earned them the Tournament Champion and the Excellence Award, and American Samoa could not be more proud of this team.

RISING STARS

Team 21111B also showcased remarkable talent, ranking #5 in the 8th Brigade. They, too, have earned a fully funded trip to the JROTC VEX Robotics Nationals in Dallas,Texas, at the VEX Worlds. Their members include:

● c/COL Ladenia Lavatai: Team Captain and Task Force Commander

● c/Second Lieutenant Emmanuele Ah Vui: Designer, Engineer, Robot Builder, and Driver

● c/First Lieutenant John Setu and c/Second Lieutenant Faith Ioapo: Co-Drivers and Assistant Robot Builders

● c/Captain Matagi Filoali’i: Game Field expert, Logistics and Supply Manager

● c/Corporal Ida Dewees, Susitina Atonio, and Ethan Lake: Programmers

Following the robotics exhibition, Governor Pula was treated to a demonstration by the Toa Drone Teams 96799B and 96799A, currently ranked 5th and 7th nationwide in the Army JROTC Aerial Drone Competition World Skills Standing. Led by the 96799B team Captain, Gwen Felise-Ioka, the teams showcased their drone piloting skills and autonomous programming, using Python to program their drones without a human operator for the skills field.

The Governor wished Toa Drone 96799B the best of luck in their upcoming competition in Reno, Nevada, on 21-22 February 2025, expressing his pride in their efforts to represent American Samoa on the national stage.

MEMBERS OF DRONE TEAM 96799B:

● c/Lieutenant Colonel Gwenavere Felise-Ioka: Team Captain and Logbook Manager

● c/First Sergeant Joseph Spitzenberg: Co-Captain, Skills Pilot, and Strategy Analyst

● c/Coporal Dang Tat Phu: Primary Python Coder, Skills Game Analyst, and Document Specialist

● c/Major Loraine Steckert: Assistant Coder and Safety Officer

● c/Sergeant Everett Painter: Teamwork Pilot and Maintenance Manager

● c/Corporal Ayden Puletasi: Teamwork Pilot and Logbook JournalistMembers of Toa Drone 96799A are preparing for their upcoming Live Remote Skills Tournament on March 13 with the REC Foundation, where they hope to break their record and secure a top-three ranking in the World Skills Standing to hopefully secure a spot at the All Services Aerial Drone Competition in Batesville, Mississippi.

MEMBERS OF DRONE TEAM 96799A:

● c/Wallace Vaigatolo: Team Captain and Skills Pilot

● c/Major Liz Ah Chong: Co-Captain and Logistics Manager

● c/Second Lieutenant Fa’atiu Paletaoga and c/Coporal Atonio Felise-Ioka: Coders

● c/Corporal Taylor Lemo: Teamwork Pilot

The success of these teams would not have been possible without the support of their sponsors and community. MAJ Galoia, MSG Puletasi, and SFC Solaita extend their heartfelt thanks to the many sponsors and businesses for their support.

It is important to note that the US Army 8th Brigade solely provided funding for the San Diego, CA competition. At the same time, the upcoming trip to JROTC VEX Robotics Nationals for 4 team members and a chaperone in May 2025 to Dallas, Texas, is made possible by the generous grant from the OIA under the DOI.

The THS JROTC instructors also extend their deepest gratitude to the parents of the Robotics and Drone teams for their unwavering dedication and commitment to their cadets' success.

(Source: JORTC media release)