A robotics team from an elementary school in Woodslee is preparing to take part in an international competition.
The Backtrackers from St. John the Evangelist Catholic Elementary School were selected as one of a handful of Canadian teams to represent the country at the FIRST International Canada Cup of robotics competition in Niagara Falls.
Beyond designing and programming a robot capable of completing complex missions, they also created the “Backtracker”-an innovative solution aimed at reducing conflicts between archaeological dig sites and construction zones.
13-year-old Payton Toplass says the international competition features a lot of elements over the four days of the competition.
“There’s one day filled with all of our robot stuff and one day that’s filled with all of our innovation stuff. For the day during innovation, we’re going to go into a room, and there’s going to be a judge in there, and we’re going to have a presentation that we’ve made for our innovation, and they’re going to ask us questions about our robot and our innovation,” she says.
Toplass, who’s in Grade 8, says one of the best parts of being a member of the robotics team is getting to work with others.
“We’re a very small school, so we’re with each other all day, every day,’ she says. ”This is just another fun aspect that we get to have fun with, travel, and meet new people all together."
A total of 96 teams from 30 countries will be in the competition between June 16 and 20.
Toplass says she’s excited for the whole event.
“I honestly can’t wait to meet other people from other countries and see what they’ve come up with and see some problems that they’ve faced in their country when it comes to archaeology,” she says.
The team earned the 1st Place Champions Award at the Windsor-Essex FIRST Qualifying Tournament on December 3, 2025, and the 1st Place Innovation Award at the FIRST Provincial Championships on February 1, 2026, to reach the international competition.