Proviso West students place in ‘Battle on Belmont’ bot competition

Proviso West’s robotics team placed in the top 10 in a competitive battle bot competition, making it a historic moment for the team. 

Senior Gabriel Cano finished in second place at the “Battle on Belmont,” the Smashing League Battle Bot competition, held on Saturday, April 18 at Saint Patrick High School in Chicago. Junior Jose Reyez placed sixth. 

Kevin Raya, a junior at West, finished in 11th place in the full combat antweight class while sophomore JeanCarlos Duran won first place in an antweight rumble battle.  

Organized by Striker 101 and sponsored by Repeat Robotics and the Robot Smashing League, the competition featured antweight and plastic antweight divisions. Participants had to compete on a 6’ x 6’ painted wood floor in a group stage format, where 3-1 and better records moved into the single elimination rounds.  

April Senase, Proviso West teacher and robotics sponsor, said West was invited by Saint Patrick to participate alongside individual entries.  

West participated with four robots in the antweight category and one in full combat, where robots are allowed to have metal weapons but still need to be under 1 pound. According to Senase, there were 34 robot submissions for the antweight category and 32 robot submissions for the antweight full combat category.  

Robots for the competition were designed, 3D printed and built by students, Senase said. All robots had to weigh under 1 pound.  

According to Senase, students were really excited about putting together their robots.  

“They got to test the motors and make sure the weapons worked,” Senase said. “This was something we had to learn together.”  

Students spent a lot of time working on their robots, learning about power cells and troubleshooting, Senase added.  

“[It is] teaching them about life,” Senase said. “A lot of things don’t work the first time out. We have to sit there and be able to retrace our steps. … start at what our expected result is and check things all the way back to the beginning.”  

“It is a safe place for them to fail forward,” said Senase. 

According to the press release from District 209, student participants were involved in all aspects of the development, fabrication, electrical systems and mechanical design of the robots.  

The robotics team was established at West around 2023 as a joint effort by West and Proviso Math and Science Academy, bringing together students from both campuses. Senase said the teams have since separated, with each school forming their own teams.  

Currently West has about 8 to 10 active student participants.  

Senase said she hopes wins like these continue to help expand the program as she has goals of bringing the competitions to West.  

“[It is such] a supportive environment and it is something that I look forward to getting into next season and potentially hosting a whole season,” she said, adding the next step is building an arena at West. “We could start hosting more battles here.”  

Senase said the “Battle on Belmont” event sold out in minutes after its announcement, showcasing the demand.  

Proviso Superintendent Krish Mohip showed his support for the team’s achievement in the press release.  

“Opportunities like this give our students hands-on experience that goes far beyond the classroom,” Mohip said. “Through robotics, they develop critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork and technical skills that prepare them for college, careers and the future workforce.”  

According to the press release, West’s robotics team continues to expand opportunities for student engagement in STEM learning through hands-on opportunities and competitive experiences to foster “innovation, collaboration and real-world skill development.”