The Robotics Club at American School of The Hague has seen remarkable growth since its beginnings just three years ago. What started with eight students has now evolved into a thriving community of 52 passionate club members. The expansion has been so significant that this year, a new team was created under a new name: Strooptech.

 

Every year, ASH’s robotics teams take part in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), an international competition where high school students design, build, and program robots to complete specific tasks and compete against other teams at local, regional, and global levels. Last year, one of ASH’s teams achieved an incredible milestone by advancing all the way to the World Championship in Houston, Texas.

 

This year’s FTC theme, DECODE, invites teams to uncover the power of storytelling through technology. The challenge asks students to think like explorers — to use engineering, coding, and creative problem-solving to design robots that can “unlock” mysteries within the world’s artifacts. Through this process, students not only build robots but also develop a deeper appreciation for how human curiosity and collaboration drive progress.

 

“It's pretty crazy to look back and see how much the students have learned and grown in such a short time,” says Robotics Teacher Mr. Pratt. “We have a scrimmage on November 22nd and a qualifier tournament on December 6th. That qualifier determines which teams advance to the Nationals, which, excitingly, will be hosted here at ASH in February.”

 

For many students, joining Strooptech represents more than just competition. “I wanted to join because I saw how supportive and collaborative the robotics community was,” says Caroline, one of the new members of Strooptech. “Whenever I enter the STEM Center, it feels like a space where everyone shares the same passions. Seeing how much our robot improves in just a few hours motivates us to keep going.”

 

Caroline highlights that success in robotics isn’t only about winning matches. “Success can look different in many ways when building our robot. When we face a problem, we manage to solve it together by collaborating with other students that focus on different areas, like build and design, programming, or outreach. That kind of teamwork is a success on its own. Of course, bigger successes include winning a match or even earning an award, but every problem we solve brings us closer to our goals.” As for the team’s new name, Strooptech was born through brainstorming sessions that blended Dutch culture with technology. “We came across stroopwafels (a popular Dutch pastry) and combined it with ‘tech,’” says Caroline. “After a few rounds of voting, Strooptech became official.”

 

On Robotics Club days, the STEM Center is filled with collaboration, test drives, and the chaos of robot parts flying left and right as Strooptech and our other two robotics teams –Trojan Robotics and The Flying Dutchman – gear up for an exciting season.