Two teams from Pioneer Valley High School Robotics entered their first competition on Oct. 25 and walked away with their first trophy at the Halloween-themed Rebootics Spooktacular at Centennial High School in Bakersfield, California.

The competition included students from Righetti and Delta high schools, as well as Pioneer Valley.

The 36-team annual event is in its 12th year. One of the teams consisting of costumed Minions Bernadette Bolusan, Ivy Mahusay, and Akeyla Calizo, earned the Judges Award for best engineering notebook and team interview.

“I am just glad we won some matches, qualified for the bracket, and walked away with an award,” said Bolusan, a ninth-grader. “It’s challenging to compete against the equivalent of varsity, knowing there are teams here with three-to-five years of experience, but worth it.”

The Vex Robotics program at Pioneer Valley is off to a good start this year under new coach Laurie Geronimo. The new program and first-year teacher currently have eight teams, a build room, and support alumni from Delta High School Robotics, Delta Coach Jeff Cooper said.

“From the students to the supporters, this win belongs to all of us,” Geronimo said. “We want to be one of the best and this win is just fuel for us to keep pushing forward, so when things get difficult, we can run it back with no problem.”