Alleyne, West Terrace Primary crowned Battle of the Bots champs

Alleyne School and West Terrace Primary School have been crowned the 2025 Barbados Light & Power Battle of the Bots champions as the Ministry of Education Transformation launched season three of the national coding and robotics competition.

The awards ceremony, held at the ministry, also recognised the top-performing primary and secondary school teams from the competition while announcing new challenges for the upcoming season.

Deputy Chief Education Officer Reverend Stephen Scott said the competition is equipping students with the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven world:

“We are encouraging our students to engage with technology and not just to treat it as another subject to be taught. It must be seen as one of the most powerful drivers of education transformation available to us.”

In the high school division, Alleyne School claimed first place, St Winifred’s School finished second and Queen’s College placed third.

From left: Gary Goodridge, Information Technology Co-ordinator; Rhys Hurley; Nathan Whittaker; and Principal Stephen Proverbs. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla)

Alleyne team member Nathan Whittaker explained that their original plan changed during the competition after watching another team compete:

“At first, the plan was to just carry all of our bots, but then we saw St Winifred where theirs could fully stack. So our build was inspired by them… We had to make shift parts and try to keep them together… and when we built it, it could fully stack… and it worked perfectly.”

Previous international experience representing Barbados helped prepare him for the competition, he added.

“I feel great knowing that I would gain more exposure because this would be my second time representing Barbados… I also gained knowledge to help build the robot for this competition.”

Teammate Rhys Hurley said teamwork made the difference:

“We feel good. It’s nice to be first on the plaque. We had a lot of challenges, but we worked through the challenges as a team and we made it here today.”

Encouraging other students to get involved in robotics, he said perceptions should not discourage anyone:

“A lot of students think it’s nerdy or geeky or whatever, but… if that is your interest then continue with your interest because that is what you aspire to do.”

Primary school champions were West Terrace Primary, followed by Christ Church Girls’ School in second place and Roland Edwards Primary in third.

West Terrace head coach De-Mar Browne credited consistent practice and collaboration for his team’s success:

“We would have mainly brought the students together… they would go through more than one iteration of the robot… and essentially we just had them work as a team and work together.”

Looking ahead to the new season after dethroning 2024 winners Christ Church Girls’ School, he remained confident but guarded about his team’s plans:

“We’ve started compiling ideas together, and I really don’t want to say much, because we’re looking to win again.”

In season three of the contest, primary school teams will build robots for the Swing Bridge challenge, where teams race to cross an electronic bridge and score discs within a one-minute, 30-second match. Secondary school teams will compete in Rapid Strike, requiring robots to launch and score discs across four different scoring zones on a five-by-eight-tile field.

Reverend Scott said: “This season promises new challenges, new discoveries, and even greater opportunities for students to learn, innovate, and grow…. Robotics is about much more than competition. It is about discovering what is possible when curiosity, creativity, and teamwork come together.”

The competition has grown significantly in just two years, with 25 primary school teams and ten secondary school teams participating during season two, he said.

“Our goal as a ministry is to ensure that students are not only consumers of technology but confident creators, innovators, and problem solvers who are prepared to thrive in a digital economy.”

The competition extends well beyond building robots, Reverend Scott said.  

“This competition has never been about winning alone. It has always been about preparing young people with the skills they will need in an increasingly technological world: critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, and resilience.”

He praised the students for overcoming obstacles throughout the competition:

“Our finalists have earned their place here through months of hard work, dedication, and countless hours of practice. They overcame challenges, refined their designs, learned from setbacks, and continually improved their performances.”

Education officer for coding and robotics Kenneth Turton announced the prize packages while medals and awards were presented. Third-place teams received $100 PromoTech gift cards for each student and $1 000 for their schools, second-place teams received the same gift cards, along with $2 000 for their schools, while first-place teams earned a trophy, a plaque, $100 gift cards for each student and $3 000 for their schools.

(LE)