August 6th, 2025

Written by the MechMania team members

After 10 weeks of designing, building and fine-tuning their robots, more than 120 students from Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) and Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) gathered at the University of Waterloo for MechMania 2025.

The event increased size in its second year, with more than 13 teams representing nine schools and hundreds of dollars in donations.

Making Robotics Accessible

MechMania is a student-run robotics competition, led by a team of passionate students from Waterloo Collegiate Institute.

MechMania is built on a bold mission: to make robotics accessible for everyone. Faced with the steep costs that often block students from joining robotics programs, the founding students set out to prove that innovation and engineering can be accessible to all students. Their concept was first brought forward at a Smart Waterloo Region Innovations Lab (SWRIL) pitch day.

Participating teams received a kit with parts and components for the year’s competition. The students assembled their robots from the kits and had the opportunity to tackle original challenges crafted by the organizers. Behind the scenes, the MechMania team worked to secure funding, source parts, build kits, and bring together schools from across the region.

“This year we really stepped up our competition—better parts, better venue, and a larger event,” said the Chair of the Student Executive.

Competition Day

The vibe was electric from the moment teams arrived. As teams made final adjustments to their robots, organizers announced a surprise increase to the prize pool, adding a layer of excitement and fueling a competitive yet collaborative atmosphere.

Lunch offered a brief moment of respite before the final hours of building. As teams raced against the clock, creativity and problem-solving took center stage. Then, it was go-time! In a thrilling bracket-style showdown, teams competed in a series of head-to-head battles.

Despite technical hiccups and last-second repairs, Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School, and Bluevale Collegiate Institute took top honours, each earning donations for their school robotics clubs.

Looking Ahead

MechMania has worked to be a welcoming space for high school students to explore engineering, design and innovation. Organized by students, for students, it provides a stepping stone into the world of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and innovation.

As the competition evolves, the organizers are eager to expand their reach, helping more young engineers realize their potential and bring their ideas to life.

#StudentVoice Series

This article is written by a WRDSB student and is part of the Student Agency and Voice program. Student journalists embody WRDSB’s commitment to creating space for students to tell their stories. They are ambassadors for their peers as they share their personal experiences and stories about their schools and communities in their unique voices.

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