Selected News

Written by Lindsay Mallow

Security-Widefield, CO - From February 1st through 3rd, junior high and high school students from around the USA and Canada gathered at the Broadmoor Hotel to compete in the AFCEA Pikes Peak Robotics Classic, an annual competition where teams must build and program a robot to complete specific tasks.  Among the ranks this year were 16 teams from 5 different Widefield District 3 schools, all of them ready to show the world what Widefield STEM programs can accomplish.  Representing Widefield High School, Janitell Junior High, Grand Mountain Junior High, Sproul Junior High, and Watson Junior High, these students had been preparing for this competition since August.

From Concept to Completion

The robotics teams began working at the beginning of the school year, learning how to build, program, field test, and perfect their machines.  The game for this year’s competition was Push Back, where robots would be required to load themselves with colored blocks and unload into various goal platforms, all while attempting to block other teams from scoring.  All teams start with a basic build kit, but there are many potential upgrades and alterations to be made in order to create the ultimate competition robot.  With the guidance of their coaches, teams collaborate on their creations throughout the fall semester and into the beginning of the year to prepare for upcoming events.  Robotics classes and teams allow students to explore skills that they may not otherwise encounter in a standard school curriculum, and they have sparked interest in STEM careers for many kids.  Albert Harris, a 7th grader at Janitell Junior High School, said, “Robotics is just what I’m meant to be doing.  I love building things, coding things, driving things, it’s just what I do.”  

Working Together to Win

In mid-January, students from Janitell Junior High and Grand Mountain Junior High met to share ideas, assist with programming and mechanical problems, and offer support to one another.  This collaborative activity helped to promote good sportsmanship, open sharing of robotics concepts, and the benefits of improving the group as a whole over simply focusing on the individual teams.  “It’s pretty fun,” stated Janitell 7th grader Brantley Menke.  “I feel like we can help them a lot, because we’re pretty creative with the stuff we have.”  While there were certainly still some “trade secrets” kept in order to stay competitive, the kids were all very willing to help other teams solve some of their biggest issues with their robots, and offered great insight and encouragement.  Drone teams were able to consult as well, assisting each other with coding and flying tips.  8th grader Avery Longoria from Janitell has been involved in the drone program since her 6th grade year, and now she’s looking at a potential career in aerial drones. “My favorite thing about the drones is I know it’ll give me a future, especially with the Air Force and everything, and I just want to be successful.  I think it would just help saving [people], like search and rescue.”

Local Level Competition

On January 24th, Mesa Ridge High School hosted the VEX VRC V5 MS/HS Robotics League and Aerial Drone events, the final regional event of the season, where schools from around Colorado came together to compete in both robotics and drones.  96 teams were registered between junior high and high school levels for the robotics event.  Widefield High School’s team Fire Hazard dominated the field along with their alliance team, JavaJags, from James Irwin Charter School.  In addition to taking home the Tournament Champion trophy, Fire Hazard also claimed the Excellence Award for overall quality in design, teamwork, performance, and conduct.  At the junior high level, team Zero Brain Cells from Watson Junior High School claimed the Build Award for their robot’s engineering and durability.

In the drone competition, students teamed up to navigate through a timed obstacle course game called Time Warp, which included moving balls, flying through hoops, and landing on a target.  35 teams challenged each other one on one, with 20 of those teams hailing from Widefield district schools.  Students serve as pilot, copilot, or navigator on their team.  Warren Berrio, a 6th grader from Watson Junior High, was flying solo due to scheduling conflicts with his teammates, but he wasn’t going to set that stop him from competing.  “My favorite part about being on the drone teams is just the fun in it, and then also learning a bunch of stuff about coding,” he said, indicating that he’d like to carry what he’s learned into a career in the military.  Janitel Junior High School’s team 84995C won All Around Champion, and team 84995B won the Coding Award.  Teams 53447D and 53447A of Grand Mountain Junior High School took home the Skills Mission Champion Award and the Communications Mission Champion Awards respectively.  This was the third drone competition for the school year.

The Best of the Best

The International Signature Event for the 2025-2026 season was held at the historic Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs this year, allowing Widefield students to compete close to home.  Held over the course of three days, the event brought in 50 junior high teams and 64 high school teams, hailing from 8 different states and 2 Canadian provinces.  Described as “the Superbowl of robotics” by Dr. Nathaniel Sobin, WSD3’s Coordinator of Grants and STEM Programming, this event highlights the top performing teams from the US and Canada.  The champions are awarded the opportunity to attend the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship, which will be held in St. Louis, Missouri in April.  Notably, the VEX World Championship is the largest robotics competition worldwide with over 3,000 teams competing from 30 countries.

Competition was fierce, and though no Widefield teams will be moving on to the World Championship, the honor of attending the regional competition is an accomplishment to be proud of.  Watson Junior High’s team Vertical Armor claimed the Judges Award, which conveys special recognition in areas such as exemplary effort, teamwork, or professionalism.  Overall, the event provided valuable experience, feedback, and networking opportunities for students, most of whom will have the opportunity to attend these events for several more years.  “What I’ve learned from other teams is basically how to make things more efficient, because somebody is always going to be more efficient than you, it’s just the way of life, and you just have to learn about what other teams are doing and pick up on how to make it better,” said Gavin Bennett, a junior at Widefield High School, highlighting that sometimes the learning experience is just as valuable as a trophy.