‘Nervous and excited': Students from Morris represent Manitoba on world robotics stage
A team of students from southern Manitoba are representing the province on the world stage – putting their small but mighty robot head-to-head with others from around the globe.
The Morris School Robotics Team has made the trek down to Dallas, Texas for the VEX Robotics World Championship. The team—made up of four high school students—is competing with more than 800 other teams from 60 different countries around the world.
'It's really exciting to see these kids and their hard work get them to the biggest stage in the world,' said J.P. Jamieson, a technology teacher at the school and coach of the robotics team.
Morris School Robotics Team
The Morris School Robotics Team with their coach J.P. Jamieson (right) outside the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas on May 6, 2025. (Submitted: J.P. Jamieson)
Jamieson started the team back in 2024 with the help of the Manitoba Association of Education Technology Leaders' STEAM Library, which loaned the equipment.
Read More: Robots giving Manitoba students an edge in 'competitive' world of STEM
Having a few competition wins under their belt already, the school's Blue Bombur Team set their course for Texas. Jamieson said it's been exciting to see their progress. He said a member of the Morris team even got to hold the Canadian flag during the Parade of Nations at the start of the competition.
Morris School Robotics Team
Josh Hildebrandt (centre) with the Morris School Robotics Team holds the Canadian Flag during the Parade of Nations at the start of the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas on May 6, 2025. (VEX Robotics)
The robotics competition has been dubbed the largest of its kind by the Guinness Book of World Records. That tracks for 14-year-old Cody Dueck.
'The other ones, they don't even compare to it,' he told CTV News during a Zoom interview from the event. 'It's huge.'
Morris School Robotics Team
The Morris School Robotics Team including (left to right) Kayden Grattan, brothers Josh and Andrew Hildebrandt, and Cody Dueck at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas on May 6, 2025. (Submitted: J.P. Jamieson)
As for the actual competition, students have built metal robots which are able to compete in challenges—like picking up a ring and placing it on a spike or climbing a tower.
Those robots then go head-to-head with other robots in a ring.
'It can be a little stressful at times, but we've won two matches in a row so far,' said Grade 10 student Kayden Grattan. 'We've also lost two, but we're doing really well so far.'
'I think nervous and excited,' Dueck said when asked how he was feeling about the competition. 'Nervous that, like, what if this goes wrong? But excited that you're meeting so many new people, and you know you're going to get better by the end.'
The students say they are proud to be the only team from Manitoba at the competition.
Morris School Robotics Team
The Morris School Robotics Team (in the blue hats on the left) are seen competing at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas on May 6, 2025. (Submitted: Dave Dueck)
'It's been really awesome. We've been able to meet a lot of great teams, learn a lot of new things,' Grattan said. 'Everybody's really inviting. It's so nice to meet all these great people.'
He said he hopes the team will be able to return to the world stage once again, giving other students at his school a chance to experience the fun.
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