Bionic Dutch FTC 13085

05/05/2026

04/25/2026

🤖 **Robotics Team Celebrates the 2025–2026 Season** 🎉

The Pella High School Robotics Team celebrated a successful FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) and TSA (Technology Student Association) season Thursday night, April 23, at the high school Commons.

After sharing a family-style meal, Head Coach Mr. Blake McGill opened the evening with a review of the season and recognized each team member for their contributions. He also honored this year’s financial sponsors and thanked the team’s mentors and coaches for their support.

Coach/Mentor Mr. Brent Ewell spoke about this season’s focus on building habits that lead to both team and individual success, emphasizing the strong family culture that helped define this year’s journey. He also presented each team member with a personal gift.

The evening concluded with a fun, hands-on highlight as team members helped families and sponsors operate three of the team’s robots.

A great night celebrating growth, innovation, teamwork, and the people who made this season possible. Thank you to our students, families, mentors, coaches, and sponsors for an incredible year!
(photo credit Carma Ruthven)

04/02/2026

Pella High School Robotics team members competed at the 2026 Iowa Technology Student Association (TSA) State Conference and STEM Competitions, earning multiple top finishes. The team of Peyton Phillips, Kayle Huffaker, Zoe Shaffer, and Lily Steenhoek captured

04/01/2026

Congratulations to Bionic Dutch team members Peyton Phillips, Zoe Shaffer, Meav Swank, and Chetan Vanam for competing in—and winning—the NASA Space Lunar Settlement Design Competition! This high-intensity, industry-simulation event challenges students to take on professional aerospace engineering roles, solve complex problems, and develop real-world solutions.

Working under a tight 48-hour deadline, the team designed a futuristic, fully functional lunar settlement capable of sustaining human life. Their work culminated in a formal presentation to a panel of aerospace industry experts.

All four students played critical roles in the design, leadership, and presentation of their project. Chetan Vanam, Peyton Phillips, and Zoe Shaffer were elected to attend the international competition at Kennedy Space Center this summer.

Special congratulations to Chetan Vanam, who received the Anita Gale Award for leadership.

Even when plans change, excellence rises.

Due to severe weather, the NASA Space Settlement Design Competition moved online—but Pella High School's Solaris Engineering team still soared to victory!

All four students—Chetan Vanam, Meav Swank, Peyton Phillips, and Zoe Shaffer—played key roles in the design, leadership, and presentation of their Lunar settlement.

Special congratulations to Chetan Vanam, who received the Anita Gale Award for leadership, and to Chetan, Peyton, and Zoe for being selected to attend the international competition at Kennedy Space Center this summer!

03/28/2026

Five members of the Bionic Dutch 13085 Robotics Team were recently inducted into Pella High School’s 2026 National Honor Society—an organization that recognizes excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

Congratulations to Meav Swank, Peyton Phillips, Zoe Shaffer, Kayle Huffaker, and Lily Steenhoek!

These students represent the very best of what it means to be leaders in the classroom, on our team, and in our community.

03/04/2026

Pella High School’s robotics team placed 34th out of 36 teams in their division at the Iowa First Tech Challenge robotics competition this past weekend. Head Coach Brent Ewell says the Bionic Dutch team chose to challenge

03/02/2026

Bionic Dutch 2026 Iowa FTC State Robotics Championship Recap:

The Bionic Dutch were honored to be named third Runner-Up for the Connect Award, recognizing our long-term partnerships with local STEM professionals. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) mentors generously shared their time and experience, offering feedback on our designs, helping us think through challenges, and encouraging us to keep improving throughout the season. Their guidance strengthened our problem-solving skills and deepened our understanding of real-world engineering.

While competing with a brand-new robot presented challenges at the State Championships, the experience gave us valuable insight and motivation to keep refining and improving all through the competition. Although we didn’t achieve all of our team goals, we are grateful for the continued support of our mentors, parents, and community partners and excited to build on what we’ve learned for next season.