Robotics Teams Rise to the Challenge at RoboCup
Robotics and coding have traditionally been fields where women and girls are underrepresented, our students are helping to change that. Our students are embracing the opportunity to design, code, problem-solve and discover just how creative technology can be.
That enthusiasm was on show at the 2026 RoboCup WA State Event, held over the weekend at Murdoch University, where our Robotics Teams put their skills, teamwork and determination to the test.
Two teams represented the College in the OnStage division of the competition. From Year 5, Niamh, Charlotte and Audrina, and in our senior team were Amelia (Year 10), Indi (Year 9) and Vivianne (Year 8).
Bringing Robotics to the Stage
RoboCup OnStage brings together Science, Technology and the Arts, challenging students to design, build and program robots to perform as part of a creative presentation. Teams are assessed on their performance, creativity, programming and technical knowledge.
Preparing for the competition required plenty of testing, troubleshooting and perseverance. Year 8 student Vivianne said one of the biggest challenges came before the team even arrived at RoboCup.
“A big challenge we ran into before the competition was our robots crashing into each other after running for a while. Luckily, we managed to fix it by tweaking the code, which completely solved the problem!”
That persistence paid off, with both Santa Maria teams performing exceptionally well and progressing through the competition to earn places in Sunday’s finals.
An Exciting Finish
It was an exciting result for our senior team, who finished third overall in their category, earning them medals for their efforts.
Beyond the results, both teams demonstrated tremendous courage and determination throughout the weekend. Robotics competitions rarely go entirely to plan, and the girls showed great resilience as they problem-solved, adapted and kept going when faced with unexpected challenges.
For Vivianne, who has now competed in RoboCup for three years, another highlight was being part of the wider robotics community.
“My absolute highlight was catching up with familiar faces. Having done RoboCup for three years now, you really get to know people and feel like you are part of an amazing, massive robotics community.”
Supporting Our Teams
A big thank you to Robotics Club Teachers, IGNITE Coordinator Chrissie Fosssey, and Year 6 teacher Daniel Kaars who supported the girls throughout the weekend.
Congratulations to our Robotics students, Niamh, Charlotte, Audrina, Amelia, Indi and Vivianne on representing Santa Maria College with such enthusiasm, courage and determination. We are incredibly proud of what you achieved!
- Coding and Robotics, Featured, Girls in STEM, RoboCup Junior WA, RoboCup OnStage, Robotics Competition Perth, Santa Maria College Robotics, STEM Education, Student Achievement
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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