By Leslie Fuentes
On Saturday, Humble ISD’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department held its annual Middle School Robotics Competition at Humble Middle School.
This year, five campuses—Autumn Ridge, Creekwood, Humble, Timberwood, and Woodcreek Middle Schools—participated in the competition.
“This robotics competition helps our middle school students develop practical skills in coding, design, and problem-solving, while offering a glimpse into the technology and industries shaping our future,” Humble ISD CTE Coordinator Kim Young said. “Through robotics, students learn critical thinking, problem-solving, and resiliency—skills they can apply in future high school competitions and beyond.”
Leading up to the competition, students worked in teams to design and build robots from the ground up. On competition day, they faced off in three different challenges: Battle Bots, Soccer Bots, and the 4-Corner Collection Game—all proposed by Timberwood Middle School Robotics Instructor Kristopher Rhine.
In the 4-Corner challenge, students’ robots started in their designated corners and had two minutes to collect as many balls as possible from the center of the arena. The balls were worth different point values: 5, 3, 2, and 1 points.
The Battle Bots challenge tested the robots’ durability and maneuverability. Teams earned points for successfully pushing an opposing robot into the wall or over the taped line, while they could lose points for crossing the line or making accidental contact with the walls.
Teams participated in three rounds of each challenge, and their average scores determined the winners. Judges also evaluated competitors on teamwork and collaboration.
Members of the Kingwood High School Robotics Team helped judge the competition, mentored the younger students, and assisted with event setup.
“It’s inspiring to watch students take what they’re given and create something so innovative and efficient,” said Gwenanne Michalsky, an 8th-grade science instructor at Woodcreek Middle School and a key organizer of the competition. “This experience sets the tone for what they’ll be able to accomplish at the high school level. Engineering is all about collaboration, and through this event, students learn from each other by seeing what other teams are doing.”
The top winners of this year’s competition are:
1st place: Strongest - Autumn Ridge Middle School
2nd place: T-800 A - Timberwood Middle School
3rd place: Placeholder - Woodcreek Middle School
Special Awards:
Innovator Award: Placeholder - Woodcreek Middle School
Team Spirit Award: Cyber Cats - Humble Middle School
Problem Solver Award: Tomahawk - Creekwood Middle School
“The competition has grown over the past few years, and it’s been amazing to see all our middle school campuses come together to build this program,” Michalsky said. “We’ve worked together to organize this event, and the goal is to continue growing it. It’s been a true team effort, and we’re committed to ensuring every campus has the resources they need for their teams to compete successfully.”
