Over the weekend, Marist Eastwood’s VEX Robotics team 11337A wrapped up their very first competitive season with an extraordinary performance at the Australian National Finals in Adelaide. Competing against 38 of the top teams in the country, the boys delivered an outstanding run through the qualification rounds with 9 wins and just 1 loss, securing 4th place overall.
Their Nationals journey ended in a tight quarterfinal match against a strong alliance from Knox Grammar and Pymble Ladies College, but the result tells only a fraction of the story. What truly defines this season is not the scoreboard—it’s the transformation these students have undergone since Day One.
From Zip Ties and Rubber Bands… to a Competition-Ready Machine
When the Marist team began their season, their robot was—quite literally—held together with more rubber bands and zip ties than professional components. It was messy, chaotic, and wonderfully typical of a rookie team taking its first steps into the world of engineering.
Fast-forward to Nationals, and the robot they placed on the field was almost unrecognisable:
a clean, robust, competition-ready machine built through dozens of iterations, late-afternoon refinements, test failures, redesigns, and breakthroughs. Every improvement was theirs—they earned it through persistence and curiosity.
A Student-Centred Program That Builds Real Engineers
One of the things we are most proud of is that this journey was student-driven. At Creator Academy, we believe that robotics education is not about coaches giving students the answers—it’s about giving students the space to find the answers.
Our mentors guide, question, challenge, and support, but we never take the tools out of a student’s hands. This approach is slower at the beginning, but the payoff is enormous:
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Students develop authentic engineering intuition
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They learn to solve problems independently
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They experience the satisfaction of building something real
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They develop teamwork, communication, and resilience
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They become confident, capable young engineers
The Marist team embodied all of this. Their growth this season is the clearest proof that when students take ownership of the learning process, they don’t just build better robots—they build better versions of themselves.
A Strong Partnership With Schools
This season also highlights the power of school–coach partnerships done right. At Creator Academy, we’re not here to hand schools a pre-built program or take over classrooms. Instead, we work alongside teachers to create a sustainable, long-term robotics culture within the school.
Marist Eastwood’s success is a testament to this collaborative model:
teachers who support their students, students who take initiative, and coaches who guide rather than instruct.
What’s Next?
Nationals is just the beginning. We are excited to continue building the Marist Eastwood VEX program throughout 2025 and 2026, helping more students take on challenges, push their limits, and discover what they are capable of.
To the boys of Team 11337A—congratulations. Your robot evolved, but more importantly, you evolved. And that is what robotics education is all about.