After winning top honors at the Michigan FIRST Robotics Competition in mid-April, Detroit Cristo Rey High School’s Kinematic Wolves 5577 team is heading to the FIRST Championships in Houston.
The Kinematic Wolves earned the right to attend the event after being one of five teams selected from more than 500 across the state as a FIRST Impact Award winner. The award recognizes teams that champion transforming culture beyond the mechanical feats of the robots themselves.
“We couldn’t be prouder of our students and this team,” says Ann McGowan, Detroit Cristo Rey science teacher and team coach. “Our success wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful sponsors and supporters who understand the importance of giving students a first-hand experience of how engineering, science, and teamwork can shape the future.”
The sponsors include General Motors Co., DTE Energy, Gene Haas Foundation, Comcast Universal, 3M, Ideal Group, Intuitive Foundation, Toyota, Michigan Department of Education, Motor City Robotics Alliance, and Detroit Cristo Rey High School.
The 24-member team and McGowan will leave on April 28 for the FIRST Championships, which runs April 29-May 2 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
The FIRST Championship is the world’s largest K-12 robotics event. The 2025 championship featured 1,055 teams and drew 50,000 attendees from 66 countries.
Although team members expressed disappointment Kinematic Wolves’ robot didn’t perform as expected, they said the experiences and insight they gained through providing support for younger students and other teams made the season especially memorable.
“I know the power that we have in our community and the impact we have had, and I wouldn’t want to ever underestimate that,” says Victoria Gonzalez, a senior at Detroit Cristo Rey.
As the first team from Detroit to win an Impact award, Detroit Cristo Rey President Bill McGrail says the Kinematic Wolves demonstrate what can happen when a community comes together to help young people reach their full potential.
“These students represent the best of us in every way,” McGrail says. “They are proof of what can be achieved when young people are given the resources, education, and opportunities to follow their passion.”
Formed in 2015 as one of the original teams from Detroit Hispanic Development Corp., the Kinematic Wolves 5577 takes its name from the physics term for the study of motion and kinematics, along with Detroit Cristo Rey’s wolf mascot.
Detroit Cristo Rey is a coed Catholic high school for those of all faiths. Students receive a college preparatory education and professional work experience at an affordable cost.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is the world’s leading youth robotics community. It hosts team-based robotics competitions for ages 5-18 to inspire STEM interest. Key programs include FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition), FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge), FLL (FIRST LEGO League), and FIRST Junior.
