John Paul II Catholic School robotics teams powered up for the Beaufort Rumble in the Nest Robotics Tournament, competing in both High School VEX V5 and Middle School VEX IQ divisions. JPII was represented by three teams—two high school teams and one middle school team—each showcasing innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving under pressure.

High School Team 61317A, comprised of Conner Clark, Megan Fox, Meredith Dyer, and Kathryn Mouhalis, engineered a strong performance, finishing 11th overall and advancing to the finals. The team successfully captured a first-round heat victory before being eliminated by a highly competitive field of robots, demonstrating both resilience and technical precision.

High School Team 61317B—William Clark, Roman Bodziony, Dominic Aiken, Alessandro Pepe, and Josh Rivera—competed with determination and focus, finishing 22nd overall. For several team members, this marked their first-ever robotics competition, providing invaluable hands-on experience in design iteration, coding, and real-time problem-solving that will fuel future success.

At the middle school level, Team 61317X—Sebastian Sakowicz, Gabriela Pavlick, Jensen Downs, Georgette Golden, and Alex Marcinkoski—rose to the challenge as JPII’s lone VEX IQ team. Formed through a mid-season team merger, the students quickly synchronized their efforts and delivered an impressive showing. Their robot placed 2nd in the Skills Challenge and finished 4th overall, proving both competitive excellence and adaptability.

“What impressed me most was not just how competitive the robots were, but how quickly our students learned, adapted, and improved," commented robotics moderator, Paul Brown. "They designed, built, coded, tested, and refined their robots themselves—exactly what engineering is all about. I’m incredibly proud of the teamwork, perseverance, and growth each of these students demonstrated.”

Congratulations to all our Golden Warrior robotics teams for a weekend filled with innovation, collaboration, and hands-on learning. The future is being built—one robot at a time.