by David King
The Clayton Valley Charter High Robotics Team has had quite a year that finished on a very high note, a semi-final appearance in the World Robotics Championship. Robotic teams from 833 qualified schools across 33 countries all met in Dallas on May 6-8 to compete in the 2025 Vex Robotics World Championship.
After two years of hard work, dedication, and countless hours of building and refining, the Clayton Valley Charter High (CVCHS) Senior Robotics team, 94517X Mecha Maelstrom—Eric Catalano, Will Gallagher, Santi Martinez, Alex Mihaylov, and Asher Wan, finished as the second seed in the Technology Division and advanced all the way to the semi-finals.
This is a remarkable accomplishment on a global stage. What started as a rookie team last year has turned into one of the most impressive success stories in the robotics world. The five CVCHS students kicked off their robotics journey in August 2023 with zero experience, limited skills, and just a dream to build something that worked. In a year they qualified for the World Championship, a feat almost unheard of for such a new team.
They came back this season even more determined, refining their robot, perfecting their strategies, and sharpening their teamwork.
In April, they won the National Division Championship in a three-day event in Iowa against 156 teams including international ones.
Their success was so impressive, the Concord City Council recognized the team with a Proclamation for National Robotics Week in an April Council meeting.
“All of their hard work paid off. Not only did they qualify for Worlds again this year, but they also solidified their place among the top-ranked teams globally,” says a beaming JoAnna Castillo, PLTW Engineering Academy Lead and Teacher at CVCHS. “We are extremely proud of everything they’ve accomplished and can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
“It’s not just the competition; teams are being judged on their personal skills and enthusiasm. Team members interview with judges, they all have to talk about how they build a robot, what their engineering design process is, their journey in robotics. it’s an interview.”
The schools are divided into 10 divisions. Teams are randomly paired up for each match and compete 2 v 2 during the qualification rounds. CVCHS competed in 10 matches in their division winning seven and tying one of those rounds. That placed them high enough to be chosen as partners with the team from Plano, TX, as 2nd seed in the elimination round. They won every match until losing in the semifinals. The winning pair of each division then competed against for the title.
“There must have been 7,000 students and coaches and families watching the finals. “
The competition was held at the Kay Bailey Convention Center, with a gigantic arena called The Dome.
“The Robotics Club is already hard at work preparing for the next challenge, and we look forward to making our school and community proud again. We host the CVCHS UGLY Robotics Tournament in September 2025 and January 2026,”
Castillo says.
For more photos and videos of the event, go to Clayton Valley Engineering Academy Instagram page.
And who were the Vex World Robotics Champion(s)? That tile goes to Piedmont, Calif. and Jackson, Tenn.