Later this month, a pair of Woodland Hills VEX Robotics teams will head to the World Championships in St. Louis. On Tuesday, the students on those teams were celebrated with a special pep rally with their Dickson classmates.
Team Hardwired, which features eighth graders at Dickson, and Team Robotic Wolverines, which features sixth graders at Dickson, will head off to St. Louis at the end of the month for the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championships. Both of the teams qualified for the event by earning the Excellence Award in their respective divisions at the Western Pennsylvania State Championships at Clarion University in March.
Each team member fills multiple roles in the design and operation of the robot and on competition days. Teams are required to keep a notebook that details the decisions and rationale behind the construction of their robot. The robots can be piloted via code entered into a computer program and through a remote control. While the robots must be constructed using specific pieces supplied in VEX Robotics kits, it is up to each team to determine how to utilize those pieces. To pick up the items on each game board, some teams use a conveyor belt while others use robotic arms.
The teams participate in the VEX IQ Robotics Competition, which requires teams to design and build a robotic vehicle that can be piloted by a remote control or via code input into a laptop. In the competition, teams are randomly paired and must work together to pilot their robots on a specially designed game board. They’re challenged to score as many points as possible in 60 seconds. Points are awarded based on set criteria, such as stacking pieces and place them in scoring areas.
The two teams showcased some of their skills as a demonstration at Tuesday's pep rally. The festivities also included cheers and chants by their classmates, drumset accompaniment by Dickson student Waylen Drake, a brief presentation explaining how they qualified for the World Championships, and details about the numerous teams from over 70 countries that they'll be meeting and facing off against.
Each team member also had an opportunity to introduce themselves to their classmates. Parents and family of the team members were invited to join the celebration, which also included guests from U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock and members of the district administration.
Team Hardwired features Rayhan Carreiro, a third-year builder, coder, driver, and notebook contributor; Kamran Carreiro, a third-year builder, coder, and loader; Jonas Divelbiss, a third-year builder and notebook contributor; Sam Pittler, a third-year builder, coder, and loader; and Nate Abrams, a first-year builder and coder.
Team Robotic Wolverines' members are all in their second year of competition. The team includes Alex Estep, a builder, driver, and loader; Spencer Morse, a builder, coder, and loader; Kyra Scott, a driver and notebook keeper; Stella Wheaton, a builder, notebook keeper, and loader; and Piper Yoder, a builder, coder, and driver.
The teams are coached by Ms. Joyce Gratton and the VEX Robotics program is overseen by Ms. Tina Dietrich, Director of STEAM and Innovation for the Woodland Hills School District.
Congratulations to both teams and best of luck at Worlds!