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Aurora all-girls robotics team competing on international stage

French school team to represent Canada in high-level LEGO robotics league in Arkansas against 79 teams from around the world
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The Aurora robotics team Équipe Francobotique is getting ready to compete in an international competition.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included incorrect information that the schools mentioned were French immersion. They are, in fact, French-language schools. The story below has been edited to correct the error.

Aurora French student Suzanne Northrup has pursued robotics with her school team for four years.

Alongside her teammates, the French school squad Équipe Francobotique has made a name for itself in the First LEGO League robotic program. 

This year, the team went through provincials to qualify for an international tournament to be held in the U.S., emerging as one of the top teams in Canada.

“Our first year, we did well, but not as well as we are now. We’ve all grown through this program and we’ve gotten even better together,” Northrup said, adding that competing at internationals “is a lifetime experience. We only get one shot at doing this.” 

The team of eight students from Grade 5 to 8 hails from both École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean and École intermédiaire catholique Renaissance in Aurora. They compete in the LEGO-based robotics competition against other schools from across the province and country.

Many team members have developed together over the last four years, earning a national title amidst the pandemic in 2021-22. Last month, the team topped a 40-team provincial competition to earn a place as one of the Canadian teams to compete against the best in the world in the U.S. in May. 

“We just work really well together,” member Kaiah Sanderson said. “Everyone on the team is just such great friends, and we have a really close bond.”

The squad now represents the Association des francophones de la region de York, an association of the region’s francophones. It allows the team to compete in the LEGO league, despite now being split across two elementary schools. 

Milene Pilonazdor is the lone Newmarket resident on the team. She said she decided to join after getting interested in the subject through a coding class. 

“I wanted to learn a little bit more about that,” she said, adding that she heard accounts of the robotics team from her friends.” I found it super interesting, so I said, ‘Why not give it a shot?’” 

Team coach Renée Northrup said they value the experiences more than winning.

“The whole season is about improving,” she said. “The prize in all of this is how much you’ve grown as individuals, scientists, and engineers. How many skills you’ve picked up, but also how you learn to work as a team and get things done by helping each other out.” 

The team is themed around the famed mascot from the Pokemon franchise, Pikachu. Members said they wanted to focus on renewable energy, and decided to incorporate Pikachu into their team design, as it is a creature that produces electricity. 

All of the team members are girls, uncommon in the scene. Coach Northrup said a few all-girls teams are competing in Ontario, but most of the teams skew male, with six or seven boys and one or two females. 

“You are girls, a minority in a field predominantly dominated by boys,” coach Northrup told the team, adding that they “showed the boys that the girls can do high-level robotics very well.” 

But the team faces another challenge: fundraising. The trip to Arkansas to compete against 79 teams around the world, including other qualifying teams from Canada, will cost approximately $17,000, including plane tickets, accommodations and transport of their equipment. Although they expect to get a third of that by running workshops to teach younger students robotics, they will still be seeking support. They will also be offering sponsorships, which can include advertisements on team uniforms.

You can donate directly to the team through their fundraising campaign at yapla.com. You can also contact the team through [email protected].

Being part of the team offers a lot, Sanderson said.

“Robotics just brings a lot of joy to my life,” she said. “Knowing that I’m able to see this amazing group of people every week, twice a week. It makes me really happy.”