Remember the excitement of being handed something new at school, figuring out how it works and getting the chance to try it before anyone else?

The thrill of knowing that, even if it seems like a small classroom challenge, you are doing something nobody has done before?

For students at Gulf Shores High School, that moment will come with a drone, a handful of colored objects and a competition that has never been held anywhere in the world.

On Nov. 20, the school will host the first VEX AIR drone competition, giving student pilots and programmers the chance to make robotics history as the first teams to compete using the new platform developed by VEX Robotics.

According to a news release from the school, the occasion is significant enough that VEX Robotics leadership and members of the team behind the game's development will travel to Gulf Shores to watch students put their creation to the test.

Hosted by the school's Hyperwave robotics program, the competition will feature Pick & Drop, the first game released for VEX AIR. Students will program and pilot drones to pick up colored objects and drop them into red and blue goals during timed flights.

All teams will use the same competition drone, but pilots can make adjustments during matches by landing in a designated pit stop to swap attachment modules, batteries or landing feet. The ability to change equipment gives teams an opportunity to adapt their drones and strategies as the competition progresses.

“Our students get to be the first in the world to compete in VEX AIR, and that is something they will remember for a long time,” James Salvant, coach and event host at Gulf Shores High School, said in the release. “Having the people who designed this game in the room, watching students program their drones, fly them, and re-tool them mid-match to adapt their strategy, is a rare chance for our kids to show what they can do and talk with the engineers who made it possible.”

The competition will begin with qualifying matches in which teams are paired into two-team alliances. Teams will be ranked according to their average scores across those matches, with the highest-ranked teams selecting alliance partners for a final round. The highest single score in the final will determine the tournament's first champion.

Scores will be displayed live on a large-screen leaderboard for competitors and spectators.

The event also represents an expansion of the work taking place through Hyperwave, Gulf Shores High School's robotics program. Part of Gulf Shores City Schools, the program gives students experience designing, building and programming robots. With VEX AIR, students are applying those skills to drone programming, configuration and flight.

Hyperwave students have also helped prepare the inaugural competition, including developing the live scoring system that will be used during the event.

“VEX AIR adds a third dimension to competitive robotics, and Gulf Shores is proud to be where it takes off,” said Jamie McClung, coach and event host at Gulf Shores High School. “Our Hyperwave students have helped build this event from the ground up, down to the live scoring system that will run on competition day. We invite every team that wants to be part of this first chapter to register and come fly with us.”

The competition is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 20 at Gulf Shores High School, 300 E. 16th Ave. The schedule is tentative.

Registration is open to high school teams interested in participating. Information is available at https://events.vex.com/robot-competitions/vex-air-drone-competition.