DoWEA Dahlgren School students showcase engineering skills at SeaPerch competition
Courtesy Photo |
Dahlgren School students maneuver their remotely operated vehicle during the SeaPerch......read moreread more
Courtesy Photo | Dahlgren School students maneuver their remotely operated vehicle during the SeaPerch regional competition, March 21 at the King George YMCA in King George, Virginia. DoWEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of War. It is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs for the Department of War. DoWEA operates 161 accredited schools in 9 districts in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, serving over 66,000 military-connected students. DoWEA Americas operates 50 accredited schools across two districts on 16 military installations, including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard bases in seven states, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Committed to excellence in education, DoWEA fosters well-rounded, lifelong learners through DoWEA’s academic programs, ensuring continued innovation and excellence, while advancing a strong focus on patriotism, classical learning, and civics education in support of military-connected students worldwide. see less
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DoWEA Dahlgren School students showcase engineering skills at SeaPerch competition
NSWC DAHLGREN, Va. — Three middle school teams from Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) Dahlgren School on NSWC Dahlgren delivered strong performances at the SeaPerch regional competition March 21 at the King George YMCA, facing 72 teams from across the region.
SeaPerch is a hands-on program that challenges students to design, build and pilot underwater remotely operated vehicles. The competition gives participants real-world experience in engineering principles, problem-solving, tool safety and teamwork — experiences that embody classical learning through practical inquiry and innovation.
In the obstacle course, teams navigated their vehicles through five angled rings, raced the length of the pool, surfaced and returned, all within a four-minute limit and two attempts. Dahlgren’s teams recorded times of 1:42.38, 2:09.07 and 2:23.
The mission course, themed Storm Response, required students to simulate community recovery efforts after a major storm. Tasks included closing a floodgate, rescuing displaced wildlife, clearing heavy debris, adjusting pipes, releasing floats, collecting water samples and completing precision placements — all within 10 minutes.
Each team also presented its ROV to a panel of judges and submitted a detailed technical report on its design process and engineering decisions.
"Our students didn’t just build underwater robots — they built confidence, self-reliance, and a deeper understanding of how engineering serves our communities,” said Paul MacDonald, coach and teacher at Dahlgren School. “They learned essential skills in design, circuitry and problem-solving under pressure, while the Storm Response mission showed them the real-world impact of teamwork and innovation."
Final standings are still being tabulated. Top teams are expected to advance to the international SeaPerch competition at the end of May.
Dahlgren students rose to the challenge with creativity and determination, demonstrating the innovative spirit and sense of service that DoWEA Americas seeks to cultivate through classical learning, civic engagement and patriotism.
DoWEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of War. It is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs for the Department of War. DoWEA operates 161 accredited schools in 9 districts in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, serving over 66,000 military-connected students. DoWEA Americas operates 50 accredited schools across two districts on 16 military installations, including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard bases in seven states, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Committed to excellence in education, DoWEA fosters well-rounded, lifelong learners through DoWEA’s academic programs, ensuring continued innovation and excellence, while advancing a strong focus on patriotism, classical learning, and civics education in support of military-connected students worldwide.
