Competing Robotics Teams At Energy Day Will Pay Tribute To Kendrick Castillo

DENVER (CBS4) - Kendrick Castillo loved robotics and spent a lot of his free time building robots with his high school's robotics team. Now Castillo, the victim of a school shooting earlier this year, will be honored by others just like him.

"This was supposed to be the Colorado Robotics Invitational but it has been renamed to the Kendrick Castillo Memorial Tournament to honor Kendrick Castillo," said Erik Darzines, head coach of the Brute Force Robotics Team 2240 from DSST: Montview High School.

"Several of us on the team went to the memorial for Kendrick back in May. We all learned that Kendrick was an amazing young man, kind, generous, giving -- and what we learned ultimately was courageous," Darzines said.

The Montview team will be competing at the tournament at Denver East High School this weekend with teams like Team Impulse, Castillo's STEM School Highlands Ranch team. (Castillo's team is also known as FIRST Robotics Competition Team 4418.) The tournament is one of several events happening at East High on Saturday for Energy Day, a free family festival showcasing exhibits focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

For the tournament, 30 teams in all will get a chance to practice their robotics skills.

"I love robotics because I love to make things and I love to mentor other students and just learn everything I can get my hands on," said senior Elias Wheatfall from the Montview team.