REGION – Vermont middle and high school robotics teams were in Houston, Texas, recently, competing at the international First Championship. It started Wednesday, April 29, and ran through Saturday, May 2.
The international competition is the final event in the youth robotics season. It’s also an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), since STEM workforce skills are a major focus of First, which stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”
In Vermont, First programming is cofacilitated by the University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, 4-H at UVM Extension, and the nonprofit First in Vermont. More than 1,000 youth statewide participated this past season, including the four teams competing in the following categories at Worlds this week: First Lego League (grades pre-K-8), Team 63124 Camel’s Hump Coders from Huntington; FirstTechnical Challenge (grades 7-12), Team 8304 Wired Cats from Saxtons River, competing in the Ross Division, and Team 18650 Cookie Clickers from Bennington, competing in the Edison Division; and First Robotics Competition (FRC, grades 9-12), Team 2370 IBOTS from Rutland, competing in the Newton Division.
All livestreams for the 2026 First Championship can be found at www.firstinspires.org/programs/first-championship/watch.