A team of four students from an all-girls school in south London has the chance to make it. They’ll be going on to compete for Great Britain in an international “Olympics-style” robotics competition. It’s how two years ago when secondary maths teacher Matt Fry put together such a dynamic team. Now they’ve officially qualified to join the First Global Challenge, going up against teams from 190 other countries!
Instagram @jp_pedro The school celebrates an incredible victory! It’s the first full time school to make up Great Britain’s national team at this prestigious competition. Fry’s leadership kicked off the trip by bringing robotics to the school. This decision motivated enthusiastic newcomers such as Adrian and Kieran to enroll with the recently formed robotics team.
At first, it did not go well, as the team was crushed the first competition in which they competed. They didn’t give up and instead invested in their craft to hone their writing.
“But after that we bounced back and just put everything into it – and then we did really well,” said Kieran.
Their effort was rewarded when they were crowned UK champions. Now, they have the fantastic opportunity to be able to go on a global stage and compete. The theme for this year’s First Global Challenge focuses on developing sustainable food networks. To do this, the team has developed a groundbreaking robot named Steve.
Kieran shared his enthusiasm for the competition, and what it means for the future. He and his teammates are waiting with bated breath to face off against other competitors from around the world!
“None of us knew much about the competition,” Kieran admitted. “I think we can do well.”
Adrian reiterated these sentiments, thinking back to their phenomenal maturation in the last two years.
“In two years, we’ve come so far. None of us thought when we started that we would become the UK champions and represent our country in a global competition.”
The students attribute a big part of their success to Fry’s commitment and mentorship. Kieran referred to Fry as a “turning point.”
“Mr. Fry is like a god in our eyes, he’s just taken this programme, given it to us and look where we are now – we’re going to Panama,” Kieran said. “Without him, none of this would have ever happened. We can only say ‘thank you.’”
Fry, who challenges his students to step outside their comfort zone and make choices, said he was proud of what they did there.
“I love them to be making decisions,” Fry stated.
The team has its sights trained on developing towards the First Global Challenge. They’ll compete against teams all around the world! Their story—from local rookie team to rookie national champions—is proof positive that persistence pays off.
