Last year, around this time, the newly formed FIRST Robotics team at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School gathered around a box of parts and contemplated where to begin. With a group of students relatively new to robotics, and roughly a year ahead of them before their first competition, their first goal was simple: build a robot and get it to move, if only an inch. 

Fast forward to November 2025, and the team has far exceeded that humble objective. Not only did they successfully design and build a fully functioning robot, they built two of them, and their hard work, creativity, and persistence paid off in a big way as they captured first place at the FIRST Tech Challenge Regional Competition. 

Teams participating in the FIRST Tech Challenge work together to design, build, code, and operate robots that face off in alliance-style competitions. With support from coaches and mentors, participants strengthen their STEM abilities and apply real engineering practices, such as documenting their progress in an engineering notebook, to robotics challenges. Along the way, they gain an appreciation for collaboration, creativity, and the effort required to bring their big ideas to life. 

Teacher and Team Coach Loretta Cuda praised her team’s ability to work together and think quickly under pressure. “Our goal was just to get the robot to move, so to see them come together, mentor new grade 9s in our club . . . and score the most points out of all the teams there, I am extremely proud. Was I expecting to be slated for second and then become the winning alliance? No. I am blown away. This team is good at taking criticism and knowing where they need to improve, and I think the whole community is proud of this team and what they’ve done,” she said.  

Grade 12 student Michael Phillips shared how the experience brought the group closer than they ever expected. “Aside from learning more about robotics, I think we really came together and learned what it means to be a team,” he said. “It’s one thing to plan for what we’ll do if a problem comes up with the robot, but on the actual competition day, we learned to put everything aside and work toward a common goal. Each person thought about what they could contribute to help us win.” 

For many students, the competition also opened their eyes to the broader scope of skills required in robotics. Grade 12 student David Akero said the event pushed the team beyond just mechanical and technical work. “The thing about this competition is that it’s not just about how well our robot performs,” he explained. “It’s also about how our business team performs, what our outreach was, how our presentation goes, and how we can share more about our story. There’s a lot of documenting too, that was something we lacked before, but this time it’s something we’re really going to focus on.” 

Akero added that the structure of the challenge reflects real-world expectations. “The way they format the competition, it’s basically like running a business. Some people look for sponsors, others build specific parts. Some of us have to work on public speaking or take part in interviews or understand financial aspects. The organizers included all of that. There’s something for everyone here, and you come out of it better than when you started.” 

Director of Education, Morris Hucal, praised the team on their success. “Congratulations to the St. Benedict FIRST Robotics team on their remarkable achievement at the FIRST Tech Challenge Regional Competition. This win reflects the dedication, creativity, and problem-solving skills that define our Sudbury Catholic students. STEM education continues to be a key focus for our board, and it’s inspiring to see how initiatives like robotics are preparing students for the future. The continued growth of robotics programs across our schools highlights our commitment to hands-on learning and innovation. Congratulations once again to the students, mentors, and educators who made this success possible.” 

For more information on programs and teams at St. Benedict Catholic secondary School, visit https://st-benedict.sudburycatholicschools.ca/.  

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