On Thursday 30 July, the Armadale District Hall was buzzing with excitement as student-built robots battled it out in a regional VEX Robotics Tournament, bringing together young innovators, families and schools from across the region in a celebration of creativity, teamwork and problem solving.
Behind the scenes, the event was made possible through a City of Armadale Community Grant, demonstrating how local investment can help transform a school initiative into an opportunity that benefits the wider community.
Led by Pioneer Village School, in partnership with Carey Baptist College and Murdoch University, the tournament showcased months of student led design, coding and engineering, with students spending lunch breaks and their own time building, testing and refining robots before putting them to the test in a fast-paced competition.
Supported through the City’s Community Grants Program, the event also brought together parents, volunteers and teachers, whose enthusiasm and support helped create a welcoming community event for everyone involved, cheering on students as they tackled engineering challenges and celebrated each other’s successes.
Mayor Ruth Butterfield said the tournament was a fantastic example of what community grants could achieve.
“This is exactly what community grants are all about, empowering local people with great ideas and helping them create opportunities that benefit the wider community,” she said.
“What started as a school robotics program has grown into an event that is inspiring young people, creating opportunities beyond the classroom and opening exciting pathways into science, technology and engineering. It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm, teamwork and creativity on display today.”
Pioneer Village School Principal Clint McNerney said the grant had enabled the school to think beyond its own students.
“We already had a robotics program, but the Community Grant allowed us to think bigger. “Rather than just running it for our own students, we were able to bring other schools together and create a regional competition. That’s where the real community impact comes from,” he said.
“It’s a unique program, primarily because most of these programmes are run in a high school setting. I’ve never seen anything like this running in a primary school before. The fact that this one targets younger children is what makes it stand out, letting them show their talent in STEM fields early.”
Mr McNerney said he hoped the tournament would continue to grow in the years ahead.
“I think the fact that the students get to incorporate a lot of different learning areas, like mathematics, science, building and construction, is really exciting. Having that access to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is very forward thinking and ultimately the way of the future for our kids.
“We’re actually looking right now at dedicating a building on our campus to robotics. It would be a big space where students involved in the program can have all their equipment set up without restriction and practice with their designs.
“This is just the beginning. The grant has helped us bring schools together, showcase what’s possible and build something we hope continues to grow in Armadale for years to come.”
Teacher and robotics program coordinator Guy Rowlingson said while the grant had helped make the event possible, its greatest impact could be seen in the students themselves.
“The grant helped us get here, but you can’t put a price on what’s happening inside. The excitement, the friendships and the community coming together around these students is the real success story,” he said.
“The students build these robots in their own time, during lunch breaks, because they genuinely love it. Watching them solve problems, work as teams and support each other is what it’s all about.”
“The Community Grant helped us grow the program, secure the venue and bring more students into robotics. It has turned something that started small into an event the whole community can be part of.”
Throughout the day of the competition, students worked in alliances to tackle engineering challenges, repairing, redesigning and reprogramming their robots between matches while cheering on teammates and celebrating each other’s successes.
Parents, volunteers and teachers looked on from the sidelines, supporting every match and helping create a welcoming community atmosphere.
For Pioneer Village School student Cooper, overcoming challenges was one of the best parts of the competition.
“We’ve had lots of problems today, but we’ve just kept fixing the robot and making it better. That’s the fun part because you get to solve the problems yourself.”
Cooper believes learning through trial and error is all part of the experience.
“Sometimes the robot doesn’t work, so you have to work out what’s wrong, fix it and try again. That’s all part of the competition.”
Fellow student Jack said teamwork was one of the things that made the competition unique.
“You’re not just competing on your own. You work in an alliance with another team, combine your scores and help one another to get the best result. It’s really cool,” he said.
The event brought together students from Pioneer Village School, Carey Baptist College and South Coast Baptist College, highlighting the power of collaboration and creating new opportunities for young people to develop STEM skills while building confidence, resilience and lasting friendships.
