Our talented Year 6 Digital Leaders from the Junior School recently showcased their skills at the GDST Robotics Tournament, hosted by Kensington Prep School last week.
Throughout the day, the team tackled a variety of exciting challenges from the balloon popping task to the straight-line speed test, a tricky obstacle course, and the impressive autonomous maze challenge. Even when faced with some unexpected tech hiccups, the girls displayed outstanding teamwork, problem-solving, and perseverance.
A special well done to the teams for their fantastic code when programming the robot to navigate through the maze. We are incredibly proud of all the girls who represented our school so brilliantly.
Ariana: I absolutely loved the robotics challenge, meeting new people, learning new things. It was a fantastic experience!
Sanaa: I thoroughly enjoyed the robotics challenge. How privileged we were to have an astonishing Enterprise Technology teacher who is able to take us on these amazing and fascinating trips. It might not have gone how we hoped for it to go, but the only thing that matters is the fun and memorable experience we had. I am so proud of my team because we did amazingly well. Go Croydon High!
Sara: The Robotics Challenge was an amazing opportunity to showcase our passion and enthusiasm for coding. I arrived home and smiled, my mind processing the incredible new knowledge we gained, like the robots we coded. We were all victorious even before the competition began, simply because we were there and ready to show our talent. When I say this, I’m not lying or exaggerating; I would do almost anything to go there again! Thank you to Mrs Krishnamurthy for this priceless trip!
The actual challenges were varied and exciting. Although our robots sometimes glitched, it was still wonderful to compete. Sometimes, we had to write simple code, such as in the speed test. Other times, we had to code our iRobot to be unpredictable and sharp, such as when we had to try and pop other robots’ balloons. My personal favourite was the maze; we had to ensure that our iRobot followed a line to the end.
Faced with many obstacles and competitors, none of us stood a chance – at least not alone. Once we put our minds together and crafted unique answers, we discovered new skills and ideas that we didn’t know we had. The key to unlocking your potential is not just within you, but around you – in your friends, family and teachers. Together, you can boost each other and soar sky-high.
Misha: The Robotics challenge was an unforgettable, surreal experience that I will cherish forever. We may not have come home with a trophy but we still won in the way that we learnt so many skills and had so much fun. I can safely say that the robotics challenge was one of the most memorable of my life because it showed me that coming first isn’t everything and the importance of perseverance. We faced many challenges along the way, such as our robot deciding to do an update in the middle of the tasks, making it unable to move in the balloon popping and other obstacles, yet it was all sorted in the end in time for the maze, which we did exceptionally well in. Overall, I think this challenge taught me to look for solutions, not problems and that you must work as a team to do so. I am extremely grateful to Mrs Krishnamurthy for making this trip possible and guiding us through the process. The Robotics Challenge may be over now but the things I have learned from it will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Leela: It was an amazing opportunity to go to robotics even if we did not win. It was a brilliant experience and way to learn about the coding and weight that the iRobot could take! I am so proud of our teams that kept persevering through the whole challenge! I am so grateful that we used our problem solving to get the robots to move. We found out that it was doing an update and there was too much weight on top to protect the balloons in the balloon popping challenge! This was a once in a lifetime trip, it will be cherished in my heart forever!
Maggie: I simply loved the robotics challenge! Even though we didn’t win, it was a wonderful experience and we all tried our best. The robots had a few technical difficulties and were unable to move most of the time but we still kept encouraging each other and were determined to keep on going. The balloon popping challenge was especially exciting because other people’s robots kept trying to attack us; however, our robot (Harmony Hedgehog) somehow managed to defend itself and none of the balloons popped! We are all thrilled that we were invited on this trip. I learnt so many new things and skills that will stay with me forever, even when I am no longer in Croydon High.
