Percy Pigs may fly: Young engineers hope to represent their school in USA competition
The clock is ticking for a team of primary school pupils hoping to get to America for the world championships of a robotics competition.
The five pupils at Strichen School were crowned UK National Champions in February - and are now hoping they can raise enough sponsorship to get them to the World Championships in April.
But with a deadline to raise £17,500 by March 31, businesses and supporters are being asked to help reach the target before the clock runs out.
Strichen School has been running its afterschool robotics club for three years, led by teacher Lorraine Rennie, PSA Jack Donaldson, and parent helper Dave Gilmore.
Each year, the P6 and P7 pupils work together to design, build, code and operate robots that take on a new engineering challenge, and have racked up an amazing 14 awards at both regional and UK championship level.
This year the three teams – ‘Percy Pigs’, ‘Super Smarties’ and ‘Competing Champions’ - qualified for the VEX IQ UK Championship in February and between them won four awards.
The Percy Pigs - Maeve Dickson, Emma Fowlie, Orla Gilmore, Brodie Grant, and Lenny Pirie - were crowned UK National Champions, earning them an invitation to the VEX World Championships in St Louis, Missouri, next month.
Headteacher Leah Gibb said: “We are extremely proud of all our teams who have already achieved huge success in the UK Championships, having shown incredible technical skill and teamwork to earn their place among the best young engineers on the planet.
“Our success, however, has presented us with a significant, fast-moving challenge. We would love to see the ‘Percy Pigs’ travel to America for a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent Strichen School, and to fly the flag for Scotland at the VEX Robotics World Championships.”
As a self-funded school club, they are aiming to raise £17,500 in record time to make the trip for the team of five pupils and two teachers possible. The money will cover flights, accommodation, and food and travel expenses for the three-day competition.
Team member Emma said: “I enjoyed designing the engineering booklet and I like taking everyone's ideas and combining them into one piece. Going to America will be a great adventure and an experience that I will never forget.”
Brodie continued: “This is a once in a lifetime experience and I can’t wait to compete with teams from other countries. I hope we can set a new record for our points.”
Mrs Gibb added: “This is an opportunity that is as prestigious as it is expensive. We are on a mission to raise funds and are looking for businesses that would like to ‘sponsor a pig’ to make this happen.
“We’re incredibly proud of what our young engineers have achieved, and we really want to make this dream a reality.”
For any businesses or individuals that can help, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-percy-pigs-mission-to-st-louis-2026
Pictured: Brodie Grant, Lenny Pirie, Orla Gilmore, Maeve Dickson and Emma Fowlie
