KAYSVILLE— Four elementary girls from Kaysville, Utah, are proving that robotics and STEM fields are no longer boys-only. Their team, The Golden Roses, is made up of Ruby (6th grade), Ellie, Aylin (5th grade), and Emma (4th grade). These outstanding young women participated in the VEX World Championship in Dallas, Texas, April 25 – May 4. It is the largest robotics competition in the world, and holds competitions for grades 4 -12 from 50 counties. 

“I was in the middle of P.E. [when they found out they qualified], and I just started running around the track yelling,” said Ruby.

“During spring break, we actually did a four-hour practice [for the World Championship],” said Ellie. “We were trying to improve the shooting mechanism.”

Each year the VEX Robotics program releases a new task for the various competitions, which teams will work on throughout the school year. The game for the 2022- 2023 school year is called Slap Shot, a teamwork-based competition that requires two teams to work together to gain points. Teams also compete in Robot Skills Challenge, based on Driving Skills and Programming Skills. 

“We got here because of our driving and autonomous skills and coding,” said Aylin, the team leader of the Golden Roses. “We’re trying to improve everything.”

The Golden Roses are divided into coders Ruby and Emma and drivers Aylin and Ellie. For the success of the robot, the four of them have had to work together over the course of the school year. They qualified for Worlds due to their accumulated skills points. The girls and their parents spoke of the importance of teamwork and communication between members. 

“You can do anything if you have a good team,” said Ruby.

“This is a really interesting, multi-discipline activity,” said Blake Winslow, Ellie’s father. “For an entire school year, these four ladies have worked together on this project. We’re just really proud of them.”

Due to their hard work and perseverance, The Golden Roses is the first all-girls team to qualify for the VEX World Championship in the area, but their work wasn’t done yet. Due to Davis School District’s policy to no longer financially support interstate travel for elementary students, it was up to The Golden Roses and their families to find a way to the Championship. The team started a GoFundMe and even sold handmade soap to raise funds. 

“We went to my grandma and grandpa’s house and made soap,” said Ellie. “It smelled like roses.” 

The Golden Roses all plan on continuing their love of robotics and joining the club next school year. Despite all of them planning on going to different junior high schools, the girls plan to be a part of the same team again.  

“We’re all going to do robotics in high school ‘cause we’re all going to Davis High School,” said Ruby. “We won’t forget each other.”

As well as qualifying for the World Championship, The Golden Roses have also won two awards in their local and state competitions: the Judges Award for their proficiency in interview skills and the Design Award for the design of their robot. Their excitement and love for science and technology go beyond an after-school club. The skills and relationships they’ve built through robotics are valued experiences they will carry with them forever, and they encourage other girls to join STEM fields as well. 

“If you like science, do it,” said Emma.

“It’s not just for boys,” said Ruby.  λ