DENHAM SPRINGS — Denham Springs High School's robotics team is advancing to the world championship in Houston next month. 

The Denham Venom Robotics team won big at the Magnolia Regional robotics competition in Laurel, Mississippi, last week. In addition to being named Regional Winner at the competition, held March 15 and 16, the 40-student team also won The Autonomous Award, which celebrates the team's robot's ability to operate independently with high-performance. 

"I cannot be prouder of these students, many who have sacrificed hundreds of hours designing, machining, building and programming our robot during build season and who then worked tirelessly to maintain that robot all through the competition," Coach Daniel Eiland said. "This success is a direct reflection on their grit and determination."

Despite being a relatively young team, with only five years since its inception and three years of competition, Denham Venom has ascended rapidly in the world of robotics competitions. Up next for the team is the Bayou Regional in New Orleans from April 3 to 6, followed by the FIRST Robotics World Championship from April 25 to 27. 

While the team is currently sponsored by NASA, Dow Chemical Company, Weyerhaeuser, West Coast Products,
Department of Defense STEM and Fabworks, they still need to raise $20,000 to cover expenses for the championship.