The TASIS Tigers Middle School Robotics team, under the guidance of Coach Amy Bloodworth, achieved a significant victory at the 2026 VEX IQ Robotics Qualifying Tournament in Basel. The team, consisting of Ruhaan Patel ’31, Luke Vinciguerra ’31, Andrea Crisofulli ’31, Mark Mykhalchuk ’32, and Marat Syhyda ’32, secured first place overall and earned the prestigious Robot Skills Champion Award. This accomplishment highlights the program's continued excellence in fostering technical skills and teamwork among younger students. Concurrently, the High School Robotics Program demonstrated its competitive strength at the VEX V5 tournament held the same weekend. Two teams, 36817B Cranky Clankers and 36817C Turbo Tacos, advanced to the quarterfinals after being selected for alliances. The Cranky Clankers, comprising Taha Taassob ’27, Mingcheng Zhang ’26, Leo Gu ’26, Luigi Zenga ’26, Tsyros Tolliver ’27, Alex Calarasu ’27, and Duru Ipek Guner ’28, finished 12th overall and were honored with the Judges Award for their robot's innovative design and an outstanding team interview. The Turbo Tacos, with members Matilde Mottola ’29, Emma Khmelnitskaya ’29, Rilla Zheng ’27, Coresta Schmidt ’27, Lavin Cetinkaya ’27, Roman Bukharin ’28, Vittorio Severgini ’29, and Patrick Mauldin ’29, ranked seventh in Robot Skills and 14th overall, showcasing the depth of talent within the high school division.
The success of the TASIS robotics students extends beyond their official teams, as evidenced by the contributions of Madalena Costa Felix ’26, Ishaan Patel ’29, and Alexandra Spoto ’27. Competing with local teams at the same tournament, these students played instrumental roles in helping their respective groups secure the Robot Game Champions and Robot Skills Champions awards. This collaborative spirit underscores the program's emphasis on community engagement and knowledge sharing. TASIS Headmaster Christopher Nikoloff expressed his pride in the students' achievements, noting the program's consistent status as one of Switzerland's best. He commended the students for applying their academic knowledge to real-world problem-solving, a core tenet of the school's educational philosophy. The program's recent representation of Switzerland at the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship in Houston, Texas, further validates its standing. Student Rilla Zheng ’27, a third-year member of the High School Robotics Program, offers a valuable perspective on the tournament experience, reflecting on the intense preparation, strategic challenges, and camaraderie that define competitive robotics. Her insights provide a firsthand account of the dedication and intellectual rigor required to excel in this demanding field.
