We're not just
building robots.
Canterbury Cougarbots is FRC Team 11436 — a student-led robotics program at Canterbury School of Fort Myers built on one belief: real engineering experience, not textbook simulations, is how you actually prepare students for the world.
In our rookie season, we're learning, building, competing, and proving what a focused group of students can create when given the tools, mentors, and challenge they deserve.
of Fort Myers
The hardest six weeks in high school engineering.
FIRST Robotics Competition puts high school students through the complete engineering development cycle — problem definition, ideation, design, fabrication, software, testing, refinement — all in six weeks.
Then they compete against hundreds of teams across the country. The robots are real. The matches are live. The pressure is high. Students who go through FRC graduate knowing how to build things that actually work — and how to work under conditions that would break most adults.
Canterbury's 2026Competition Robot
Every part of this robot was designed, manufactured, and programmed by Canterbury students. The mechanical team built the structure and mechanisms. The programming team gave it autonomous capability. The drive team learned to run it at speed. What you see is the product of six weeks of focused effort.
Four subteams. One machine.
Every student belongs to a subteam where they have real ownership — not busywork, not observation. They build, code, compete, and represent.
Our mechanical team handles every physical aspect of the robot — from concept sketches in SolidWorks to machined aluminum in the shop. Students learn real CAD workflows and real fabrication techniques that transfer directly to engineering careers.
The code team writes the software that runs the machine. PID control loops, computer vision, full autonomous routines — students write production-quality Java code that runs in real competition matches, not simulated environments.
Competition is where six weeks of engineering meets ninety seconds of chaos. Drive team execution, pit crew repairs, scout data, and alliance strategy — all happening simultaneously at full intensity. This is where the team becomes a team.
A great robot needs a great team behind it. Our outreach arm manages sponsorship relationships, coordinates community demos, tells the team's story, and inspires the next generation of Canterbury engineers — building the program's future while the others build the robot.
Meet the Cougarbots.
Team roster coming soon — check back as the season gets underway.
Support students building the future.
Whether you want to sponsor, mentor, bring us to your community, or just follow along — there's a role for you in what we're building.