[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE POTOMAC SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAMS FOR THEIR SUCCESS AT THE 
                      VIRGINIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JAMES R. WALKINSHAW

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 11, 2026

  Mr. WALKINSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
congratulate the robotics teams from The Potomac School in McLean, 
Virginia, for their outstanding performance at the Virginia VEX V5 
Robotics Competition State Championship.
  These students have demonstrated exceptional skill, creativity, and 
teamwork in one of the most competitive and rapidly growing robotics 
programs in the world. Competing against top teams from across the 
Commonwealth, each team represented their school and community with 
distinction and advanced to the elimination rounds.
  I would like to recognize the members of Team 12C: Santiago 
Cangahuala, Nikhil Kothari, Julian Mankovsky, Trevor Nelson, and Cole 
Peterson, whose strong performance carried them to the semifinals of 
the state championship.
  I would also like to recognize Team 12S Syndicate: David Hallam, Zane 
Amr, Jacob Cordero, Hank Kelly, and Shlok Kuchangi, who earned a place 
at the VEX Robotics World Championship through their first-place finish 
in the Skills Championship.
  I would like to offer special recognition to Team 12Z Zap: Tony 
Diller, Quentin Toner, Sophia Vilela, Alejandra Villafuerte, Deven 
Tuladhar, Aidan Kaminski, and Samuel Kim. Team 12Z delivered an 
exceptional performance at the state championship, finishing with an 
undefeated 8-0 record and winning the tournament title. In addition to 
their competitive success, they earned the Excellence Award, the 
highest honor in the competition, recognizing overall achievement in 
match performance, robot design, engineering documentation, and team 
interview.
  With this accomplishment, Team 12Z has qualified to represent 
Virginia at the VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis. The 
success of these teams reflects the strength of STEM education in 
Northern Virginia and the dedication of the teachers, coaches, mentors, 
and families who support these students.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the 
robotics teams of The Potomac School on their recent achievements and 
wishing them continued success as they represent our region on the 
global stage at the VEX Robotics World Championship.