If you walked into the St. Peter Catholic High School gym during their FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Scrimmage, you might have thought you were stepping into a championship final. The bleachers were packed. The cheering was nonstop. The energy felt electric. But instead of basketballs soaring toward nets, it was robots scoring baskets and setting off celebrations loud enough to rival any buzzer-beater moment.
This was St. Peter's first-ever FTC Robotics Scrimmage, and it arrived with all the excitement of a major sporting event.
STEM, But Make It Spectacular
STEM has always included science, technology, engineering, and math. On this day, it was also about spark, spirit, and seriously impressive collaboration.
Teams from St. Peter, All Saints, Immaculata, and St. Matthew competed in a series of fast-paced qualification matches. They pushed their creativity, coding talent, and engineering skills to new heights. They were not only building robots. They were building bridges. Bridges to each other, to their learning, and to the confident, capable young people they are becoming.
Some students who usually prefer the sidelines found themselves cheering loudly, brainstorming strategy, and high-fiving like seasoned athletes. That is what Deep Learning looks like when it comes alive. When students feel connected and supported, they open doors for one another and lean into challenges with courage.
A Gym That Felt Like a Stadium
More than once, you could close your eyes and swear you were hearing the final quarter of a championship game. Every time a robot landed a shot or completed a tricky maneuver, the crowd erupted. Teachers, families, mentors, and classmates cheered with the kind of enthusiasm that makes a school community feel unstoppable.
It was loud. It was joyful. It was everything learning should be.
Celebrating the Heart of the Event: Craig Bond
At the heart of it all was Craig Bond, St. Peter's Science and Technology teacher and resident robotics champion.
Craig did not simply coordinate the scrimmage. He poured himself into every moment of it. You could see it in the way he moved between the pits and the field, offering encouragement, troubleshooting glitches, or quietly celebrating when a student made a breakthrough.
He believes deeply in what STEM can offer young people. How it builds confidence. How it sparks curiosity. How it gives every learner a chance to shine. Watching students from across the OCSB discover what they were capable of was a moment of pure pride for him.
And yes. He deserves a bow.
Competition Meets Collaboration
Team 32033 from All Saints finished at the top of the rankings, with Kaizen (32372) and Savaas (32374) from Immaculata close behind. But standings tell only a small part of the story.
This scrimmage came alive through students:
- Sharing tools.
- Exchanging tips.
- Cheering for other schools.
- Learning from every wobble, rebuild, and last-minute repair.
The atmosphere was not "us versus them." It was everyone, together. A perfect example of what it means to be a community.
A Bright Future for Robotics in the OCSB
As teams packed away their creations, one feeling lingered in the air. Momentum.
The scrimmage gave students valuable hands-on experience before the official FTC season, but it also gave them something more powerful.
- A sense of belonging.
- A sense of accomplishment.
- A sense of "I can do this."
Robotics in the OCSB is thriving. It is fueled by passionate educators like Craig Bond and students who are embracing challenge and creativity with wide-open enthusiasm. One all-girls team stood especially tall, proud to demonstrate that STEM truly is for everyone.
As the gym slowly emptied and the final cheers faded, one thing was clear: St. Peter's didn't just host an event. They ignited a movement.
