Today marks a proud and powerful moment for Team DAVE, the award-winning robotics team from St. David Catholic Secondary School. Their journey, passion and perseverance are being showcased on the silver screen in a new documentary by local filmmaker and Team DAVE alumnus Jake Durrer. The Drive Never Ends premieres today and tomorrow at Princess Cinemas in Waterloo. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.
The feature-length film follows the team’s 2025 season and captures the thrill of competitive robotics through the eyes of its students. Ranked among the top 10 teams in the world, Team DAVE is a source of pride for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and a shining example of the values rooted in Catholic education. Curiosity, community and character are at the heart of this story.
“It really helped me grow into the person I am today,” said Thomas Bader, a 2024 graduate featured in the documentary. “Team DAVE was my favourite and most rewarding high school experience. It helped me grow my passion for coding and engineering, and I would say it helped with getting into the Mechatronics program at the University of Waterloo where I study now.”
The documentary captures the adrenaline of match day, the long hours of design and build, and the bonds that form along the way. For Eden Dietz, one moment stands out above the rest.
“At the Ontario Provincial Championship, we entered the finals of our division undefeated but lost our first match. It took one of the most stressful games of the year to tie the record,” she said. “The pure relief and energy I felt when we won and advanced to the provincial finals is something I will never forget.”
The film highlights mentorship, friendship and the sense of purpose that grows when students discover what they are capable of. Behind the lens is a director who knows the heart of the story well.
“Team DAVE has a culture and dynamic that operate differently from many other teams,” said Jake Durrer. “Most of the mentors are university students or recent graduates. Because the age gap is small, they learn from each other and form bonds that feel different from what you might find with older mentors. I wanted to show the impact of that connection.”
Durrer filmed the documentary on his own while managing a full schedule. He followed two students across an entire season and shaped the story afterward through hundreds of hours of footage. The result is a warm and compelling portrait of what happens when students are trusted, supported and invited to grow.
“When the credits roll,” he said, “I hope the audience feels how important this team is to these students. It may be a high school robotics program, but it becomes their world. They build friendships that last a lifetime and walk away changed.”
Team DAVE continues to inspire across Waterloo Region and beyond. With this latest chapter, their story invites us to reflect on what it means to learn, to lead and to belong. The drive, truly, never ends.
