Presentation College, Chaguanas celebrate team: Bright lights ahead for Robotics Club

On March 19, 2026, Presentation College, Chaguanas, will celebrate its 67th anniversary.

The St Ives Street school has been known for its academic and sporting achievements, but over the last eight years, its accomplishments in a new field have been making headlines.

The school first entered the First Robotics Challenge in 2017 and has been competing and performing well ever since.

The First Robotics Challenge attracts competitors from almost 200 countries.

The school was there from the beginning, fielding a team in 2017 for the inaugural challenge in Washington, DC, US.

The team placed 16th out of the 163 countries. Then in 2018, they went to Mexico City. In 2019, Dubai. There was no competition in 2020 owing to the covid19 pandemic. And, in 2021, they participated in a virtual competition. In 2022, Geneva, Switzerland and in 2023, Singapore, where they copped the Storytelling  Award, the Helping Hands Award, as well as the Social Media Award.

In 2024, in Athens, Greece, they placed third overall.

The team went to Panama City, Panama, in October and, for the first time, collaborated with students from St Augustine Girls' High School.

The school has won the Social Media Award for three consecutive years since 2023 and also got an honourable mention for videography and storytelling.

On December 14, the club held its Christmas celebration.

The event took place at the seasonally decked-out school auditorium.

The theme for the night was recognising the students, their parents, the staff and everyone who supports the team.

It was also a celebration of everyone who participated and whose support took the robotics teams to Singapore (2023), Greece (2024) and in October, Panama.

In attendance were former CEO of the Catholic Education Board of Management Sharon Mangroo, former principal Mylene Seemungal, principal Dr Rene Wihby, vice principal Lynette Boodoo and Sunil Moonasar, secretary of the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce.

The masters of ceremonies for the night and organisers were team advisers, IT teacher Tricia Singh and physics teacher Collin Samaru.

Singh and Samaru were also hailed for their steadfast contribution; they are described as the “sine qua non” of the robotics club.

Kovid Capildeo, of Team Greece, said to the advisers, "Your indispensable work has been nothing short of transformative. You have been the engineers of change at the level of the student, the school and indeed the country. You not only stood with us, pushing us to become better competitors, but also better thinkers, better collaborators and better young men. Your commitment — calm, steady and tireless — has engineered us to become ready for the global future. Indeed, your work goes on having an impact on us long after we move away from this phenomenal school called Presentation College. We are eternally indebted to you both."

Upper Sixth Form student Raed Ali, 18, a member of Team Panama, spoke to Newsday before the start. He has been a member of the club for four years.

The club, he said, is open to every student and has over 50 members.

Ali hopes to study electrical and computer engineering at UWI, but his dream is to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a leader in the field.

Ali said robotic technology is the future.

He said he admires the commitment of every team member who sacrificed their time to prepare for the competition.

"During the July/August vacation, it's every day."

He added, "Everyone in Robotics Club has a voice.'

Parent Sarah Mohammed spoke on behalf of the mums, dads and siblings who support the team.
She said it fills their hearts to support their robotics boys. There is a brotherly bond that comes from having a support system at home and at school.

She said they will always support the robotics club.

Throughout the night, there were trivia questions on the history of the club, and winners werepresented with trophies made from parts of the robots. The club also presented tokens of appreciation to supporters and stakeholders.

In 2026, the Robotics Club would like more schools to get involved in robotics.
"Team Trinidad and Tobago should not only be us. Yes, we have very bright lights here. But I'm certain, as well as all of you, that there are also bright lights elsewhere," Wihby said.

They will begin preparations for the 2026 First Robotics Challenge in the new year.