Four teams from Woodland Hills turned in an impressive performance at the 2025 VEX IQ Robotics Competition State Championships at Clarion University on Tuesday, March 4. The teams - two at the elementary level, two at the middle school level - captured six awards, the most of any other school district, and one team will be advancing to the 2025 World Championships in Dallas.
Featuring fifth graders Julian Ault, Emmett Brubaker, Tate Norman, and Parker Yatsko from Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy, the IQ Pandas are the first team from Woodland Hills to reach the world championship stage. The IQ Pandas qualified for that prestigious opportunity by winning the first place Teamwork Challenge Award and the Excellence Award. The Teamwork Challenge Award is given to the top alliance that works together to earn the highest combined driver's score during the competition. The Excellence Award, the highest honor in the VEX Robotics competition, recognizes a team's ability to document and explain their engineering design and their ability to perform at a high level in the competition.
Qualifiers for the 2025 World Championships come from around the country and the world. The IQ Pandas are the first team from Woodland Hills to earn this honor. The 2025 VEX Robotics World Championships will take place from May 12 through May 14 at the Kailey Bay Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
The IQ Pandas were not the only team that brought home some hardware from Clarion. Two teams claimed the Innovate Award in their respective age groups. The Robotic Turtles, featuring students Alex Estep, Emma Gensure, Spencer Morse, Kyra Scott, Stella Wheaton, and Piper Yoder, earned the award in the elementary school division.
The Pretty Pink Princesses, featuring students Colette Ciocco, Bella Colagouri, Adalyn Matthews, and Katelyn Pittler, earned the Innovate Award at the middle school level. The Innovate Award recognizes teams that develop and document a unique or uncommon aspect for their team's design or their gameplay strategy.
Finally, Hardwired took home the second place Teamwork Challenge Award and the Sportsmanship Award. The middle school team features students Kamran Carreiro, Rayhan Carreiro, Jonas Divelbis, Sam Pittler, and Wasim Maitiq. Hardwired formed an alliance that earned the second highest combined driver's score amongst middle school teams to earn the Teamwork Challenge Award. The Sportsmanship Award recognizes teams that display a high degree of good sportsmanship, respect, helpfulness, and positivity.
