Jacksyn Iron controls a mobile robot in Regina. (Image Credit: Facebook/Rossignol High School)

By Derek Cornet

Skills Canada

Ile-a-la Crosse school advances to national robotics competition

Mar 31, 2026 | 2:50 PM

Three students from Ile-a-la Crosse’s Rossignol High School will be headed to Toronto at the end of May after qualifying for the 2026 Skills Canada National Competition. 

The team, consisting of Grade 11 students Azailia Pederson and Leland Maurice, as well as Grade 12 student Jacksyn Iron, most recently attended the Skills Canada Provincial Competition in mobile robotics in Regina on March 27. There, they earned enough points within a four-minute timeframe to qualify them for the national event.  

“Every year, the Skills Canada National Committee for Mobile Robotics releases a competition in September, allows teams to build and practice with their robots, and then comes the provincial competition where we compete in that challenge,” said teacher and club leader Dave Dalton, noting the students built two remote controlled robots and a third which was programmed to operate autonomously.  

“This year, the challenge is what’s called disaster rescue. It simulated a collapsed building which has some debris pieces around, some blocked doorways and the robots had to navigate, pick up debris pieces, deliver some supply items to some safe rooms and fix up an environmental control unit and simulate a real-life rescue scenario.” 

Every aspect of the challenge came with specific goals, and once the goal was completed, the team was awarded a certain number of points. Whichever team had the most amount of points within the time limit were named the winners.  

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Rossignol High School has a strong robotics club and have been to nationals on several occasions. They competed in nationals in Regina in 2025 and placed third.

This year, nationals will be held May 28 and 29 in Toronto. 

“I’m always proud of these kids. Every year, the whole point isn’t to win, it’s to have some fun, make some memories, to learn some things,” Dalton explained, noting the club members train on nearly a daily basis.  

“The trips to nationals and winning is just a bonus. I’m really proud of these kids and happy they get to experience the national competition in Toronto this year. It is going to be really fun for them.” 

Iron was part of the last year’s team that went to nationals and she’s excited they were able to qualify again this year. She said it would be nice to finish better than third, but she added winning isn’t everything.  

“It wouldn’t actually matter to me because we made it to nationals and just going to Toronto would be so much fun, so I would be happy with wherever we placed,” Iron said.   

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com