Unified Robotics- Takes First in Their Last Competition of the Season!

Hopewell’s Unified Robotics Team Finishes Season with a Big Win

In the beginning of April, Lori Colangelo took four members of Hopewell’s Unified Robotics team to South Fayette High School for their final competition of the season—and they finished strong. The team proudly brought home two major awards, including first place overall and the prestigious Collaboration Excellence Award.

One of the team’s standout members, Eileen Chen, shared her experience:

“We got first place and won the collaboration award. We worked after school and during study halls to build the robot, program it, and solve problems. Teamwork was crucial because we don’t always get to meet regularly, especially before competitions. Unified Robotics taught me how to communicate, be creative, think critically, and collaborate—not just with my team, but with others as well.”

About the Competition:

This season was a huge success, uniting students from different schools and introducing a fun, challenging robotics environment. As this was Hopewell’s first season, the experience provided valuable insight into the competition’s structure and expectations. With that experience under their belts, the team now hopes to grow in size and potentially host future competitions at their own school.

Heading into the event, Hopewell was already ranked #1—even without utilizing the autonomous component of the game. Teams competed by manually driving the robots they designed, with each match scored based on performance. Bonus points were available for successful collaboration with other teams. In a strategic move, Hopewell worked with Beaver’s team to pass and catch a ball, earning them those valuable extra points.

The Awards:

Hopewell earned two accolades:

• Overall Champion, for achieving the highest competition score
• Collaboration Excellence Award, given to the team that best exemplifies teamwork, strong communication, and cooperation with others during the event

Lori Colangelo explained to HSN reporter Jacob Zupsic, “The collaboration award goes to the team that really shines in working together—not only with their own team but also with other schools and competition members.”

Coach’s Reflections:

“I’m incredibly proud of how far our team has come this year,” Colangelo said. “Watching everyone grow, support each other, and collaborate—especially at the South Fayette competition—was truly rewarding.”