WeRobot News
2024-2025 WeRobot News
2025-2026 WeRobot News
2025 - 2026 Season
September 01 2025, WeRobot Mentoring Team Ready for 2025-2026!
As some of our senior mentors have moved on to college, we began recruiting new members in May. So far, we’ve brought on 10 mentors, including two enthusiastic 8th graders who have won multiple awards in previous VEX IQ championships. With this growth, WeRobot is now able to coach 5 teams this year. Mentors have been paired up to form mentor teams, ensuring strong support for each group.
Our season has kicked off with three training sessions, covering team building, tips on being an effective mentor, and the technical details of this year’s game, Mix and Match. We also discussed modifications to the HeroBot design to adapt it for this year’s challenges.
WeRobot is excited and ready to serve the community in the new season!
2024 - 2025 Season
May 24, 2025, End-of-2024-2025 Season Party - celebrating the third year of WeRobot Journey
Today, we celebrate the end of the 2024–2025 season — the third successful year of WeRobot’s journey. Over the past season, WeRobot expanded to include 10 high school mentors, coached 4 elementary robotics teams, and supported 18 students. We are proud to say that we’ve made a meaningful impact on our community.
At the party, WeRobot founder Kevin reflected on what we’ve accomplished and the challenges we’ve overcome. While expressing deep appreciation for everyone’s achievements and efforts, he also shared ideas for how we can improve in the coming year. In addition, he introduced new members who will join us in the next season. Oh yes — WeRobot continues to grow!
We were also honored to welcome Rick, Joe, and Mayuri, leaders of the Sandpiper Robotics program, as well as our advisors Jerry and Hongmei. Rick presented the PVSA (Presidential Volunteer Service Award) to the mentors, expressing the community’s appreciation and encouraging our mentors to keep up the great work. We ended the celebration with delicious pizza and excitement for the new challenges ahead in the coming season.
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Apr 27 2025, WeRobot Serviced the community in Celebrate the Music Festival
"Celebrate the Music Festival" has been the annual community event in Belmont, California, for 21 years. It highlights the music programs supported by SchoolForce in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District. Each year, it attracts many families who come to enjoy musical performances by student musicians from local schools.
In addition to music, the festival features robotics booths that showcase the school district's current robotics programs. WeRobot is honored to be one of the participants, sharing what we have accomplished and how we can contribute to the community.
WeRobot members Kevin and Ryan, along with the first team we ever coached, participated in the event. The one-day festival was filled with joy and meaningful experiences.
Jan 25 2025, Second Sandpiper Tournament
WeRobot teams participated in the second Sandpiper Tournament, and we are thrilled to see their continued growth since the last competition. Each team successfully built and operated a working robot, earning points and achieving their goals. Parents and students alike were excited by the incredible transformation they experienced—gaining engineering skills, learning teamwork, and overcoming challenges.
As first-year, non-competitive learning teams, they have successfully reached their goal for the season and are proud to bring their journey to a fulfilling close. We celebrate their achievements and look forward to welcoming them back next year!
Dec 24, 2024, Kevin and Rien: Taking the Stage as Robotics Emcees
Having grown up in the Sandpiper Robotics program, Kevin and Rien have not only given back to the community by leading high school mentors to support school robotics teams but have also taken on increasingly important roles within the program. Rien became an Emcee three years ago and has since hosted state-level tournaments. Kevin has served as a referee, robot inspector, and in various other capacities during tournament days. He has also been an Emcee for Sandpiper tournaments for two years.
Both Kevin and Rien have applied to serve as Emcees for the upcoming VEX Robotics World Championship in May. We wish them the best of luck in securing the role!
Below are some video clips of them hosting the Sandpiper Robotics tournament on 12/14/2024.
Click the pictures.​​​​​​​​​
Dec 14, 2024, 2024-2025 Sandpiper Robotics VexIQ Tournament
Finally, the big day arrived. Four WeRobot teams, along with 31 other teams from the Northern California region, participated in the Sandpiper Robotics VEX IQ Tournament. The matches were both thrilling and fiercely competitive. Two pairs of teamwork teams experienced three nail-biting ties in the final, keeping everyone on edge to see who would become the winner.​
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Amidst the intensity of the tournament, our first-year robotics students, guided by WeRobot mentors, gave their best effort to improve their scores, point by point. They refused to give up, even when trailing behind. Through the experience, they learned the importance of collaboration during matches and how to persevere and progress under pressure.
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Team A emerged as the most successful of our teams, and it’s proud to say that their hard work and determination paid off. They advanced to the finals and secured an impressive 5th place.
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During the award ceremony, all WeRobot mentors were recognized for their invaluable volunteer work in mentoring and supporting the young participants. Parents expressed heartfelt appreciation for their dedication.
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Here are some testimonials from grateful parents:
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your support. It was truly an incredible experience to witness the amazing work, and it’s just the start of a long journey for our kids.”
“We, as parents, deeply appreciate our mentor, Giancarlos. He has become a role model for our boys. He is smart, patient, and always willing to help and guide them.”​​​​​​​
Dec 04, 2024, WeRobot team A got the highest score at the second Sandpiper scrimmage
Team A’s performance at the Sandpiper scrimmage is truly impressive! Scoring 108, the first score over 100 in the scrimmages, shows how well they collaborate with the partner. The way they passing the ball effectively to the partner, really highlights the power of teamwork. It’s clear that both the students and the mentor have put in a lot of hard work to achieve this milestone, and their excitement is completely understandable. We’re all looking forward to seeing what they can achieve next. Keep up the great work, Team A!
Team R's dedication and progress are definitely something to be proud of! Their consistent improvement shows that they are on the right path. Keep pushing forward, Team R – your hard work will pay off!
Nov 20, 2024, WeRobot teams attended the first scrimmage at Sandpiper school
Three WeRobot teams successfully got their robots working for the scrimmage. For most students, this was their first time participating in the VEX IQ game, which simulates a real tournament. This experience provided valuable practice in teamwork and problem-solving under pressure, replicating the challenges of a competitive tournament environment.
WeRobot mentors worked diligently with their teams, providing both strategic guidance and encouragement. While some robots did not perform as expected—one even fell during a match—it was better for the teams to identify these issues early rather than later. The students learned valuable lessons from these setbacks. We look forward to seeing the teams make further progress in the upcoming scrimmage next week!​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Nov 11, 2024, First scrimmage is around the corner ....
Almost all the teams have their prototype ready and are working hard on the testing and enhancements.
Team R: The prototype and testing
Team X: Programming and Wiring
Team A: The prototype and testing enhancement​​​​​​​​​
Team I: The working robot
Oct 14, 2024, Progress Check with WeRobot Teams
As the date of the Sandpiper Tournament, December 14, 2024, approaches, each WeRobot team is hard at work constructing their unique robots. Both mentors and students are inspired by the hands-on process of building, testing, and problem-solving. In the left picture, Team R showcases their impressive progress, while the right picture captures Team I's approach to building and testing their designs. The collaborative energy is palpable as both teams work towards their goals.
Oct 1, 2024, Parents Provide Excellent Feedback for WeRobot Mentors!
"Julien and Karina are great. Our team is new to robotics, perhaps not as dedicated yet. But our mentors are quite patient, relate well to the kids, and help them learn to get to answer vs. just telling them the answer. I feel very fortunate to have them with us."
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"Our WeRobot mentors (Jenkins and Ethan) are fantastic. They are always on time. They give clear instructions regarding the robot design, construction, and the notebook. They take care of the missing parts (we have a Loaner kit) promptly, with the help of Kevin".
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"Given this is our first year, our mentors have been great. It took us some time to get started with locating lots of missing parts, however we were supported by Giancarlo and Parker. They shared and continue to share their experiences. We have finally completed building the generic Fling and progressing towards programming the unit before modifying."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Sep 13, 2024, Team R and Team X Display their Team Spirit
Sep 6, 2024, First Meetings with Students
Believe it or not, just two days after the kick-off meeting, WeRobot teams have already begun their well-structured weekly sessions with the students. Each team, guided by two mentors, had a lively first meeting. When they played the video of this year's challenge, "Rapid Relay," the kids lit up with excitement. "Our robot will play a basketball game!" one exclaimed. "Yes," the mentor confirmed, "that’s the task—you’ll be building a robot for it."
Excited students, excited mentors, and exciting teamwork ahead!​​​​​​​​
Sep 4, 2024, WeRobot Mentor-Parents Kickoff Meeting for Season 2024-2025
Today, WeRobot mentors met the parents of the children who will begin their first robotics journey. Kevin and Rien from WeRobot explained how the program operates and shared some of the team's past achievements. They introduced the mentor team and reviewed the rules that ensure a safe and effective learning environment for both mentors and students. The parents were excited to meet their mentors. After the presentation, they introduced themselves to each other and began planning the first meeting between the mentors and students. It’s a promising start. Let’s go, WeRobot teams!
Sep 2, 2024, The Second WeRobot Mentors Team Meeting
Today, all WeRobot mentors attended the second team meeting. Each mentor was finally assigned a team for 2024-2025 VexIQ Robotics season. They also reviewed the curriculum that WeRobot founders, Kevin and Rien, meticulously prepared for first year teams. The mentors also received a training session about engineering notebooks, basic building strategies, meeting planning and basic programming. The junior mentors reviewed a lot of material and will soon have a promising start with their teams.
Aug 24, 2024, Thanks KLA Corporation's Engineers for the Support
Today, WeRobot's senior advisor, Jerry, brought together engineers from KLA Corporation to volunteer with WeRobot. They discussed the impact of WeRobot's programs and how high school mentors are organized to support robotics education in elementary and middle schools within the community. The engineers are eager to share their expertise, teaching engineering concepts to students and serving as judges and referees in robotics tournaments. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved, and special thanks to our sponsor, KLA Corporation.
Aug 12, 2024, WeRobot Mentors First Pre-Season Meeting
Aug 17, 2024, Commencement of Season 2024-2025
WeRobot Reloading From the Old Place: the Bagel Shop
Today, WeRobot executives and advisors gathered to launch the goals and tasks for the 2024-2025 season. With eight dedicated high school mentors joining us this season, we are confident that another successful and promising year lies ahead, where we will make a greater impact on the local community by inspiring young students to explore STEM, build teamwork, and achieve success.
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