FLL Robotics
FLL Robotics
2025-2026 FLL Challenge
UNEARTHED!
Every Artifact Tells a Story — What Will YOU Discover?
This season in UNEARTHED℠ , FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams will dig into the past to uncover amazing artifacts, trace their stories, and use those discoveries to spark ideas that shape the future!
Led by STEM Integration Specialists: Charlotte Ackerman (SD), Noah Mickey-Colman (VV), Jocelyn Smerz (MZ), Maura Baker (MZ), and math expert Buddy George (CFHS).
The future of archaeology and innovation was on full display Saturday, December 13, as Orange Grove Middle School hosted the FIRST Lego League regional tournament. Seven Catalina Foothills School District teams competed in this year's "UNEARTHED" challenge. During this archaeology-inspired season, students used STEM skills and teamwork to dig into the past and discover solutions for the future. And our teams didn't just participate. They dug deep.This impressive showing is the result of Catalina Foothills Community Schools' commitment to providing high-quality services and enrichment that meet the needs and interests of our students and families. The FLL Robotics program, led by STEM Integration Specialists Charlotte Ackerman (Sunrise Drive), Noah Mickey-Colman (Ventana Vista), Jocelyn Smerz (Manzanita), Maura Baker (Manzanita), and math teacher Buddy George (CFHS), exemplifies how Community Schools builds partnerships, shares resources, and creates a sense of community and belonging through strong relationships. Through a 14-week program, students work together to address real-world challenges in engineering, programming, problem-solving, and research, preparing them with the tools to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
View the full artice on parent square CFSD Robotics Teams Dig Deep and Strike Gold at "UNEARTHED" Tournament
CFSD Robotics Teams Rock the Arizona FIRST Lego League State Championship! 
All four of our CFSD teams scored in the top 14 for robot performance. Out of 285 teams statewide, our students absolutely crushed it.
Team 5158 Glyph Gang - 3rd Place Overall + 3rd Place Robot Design Award
The Glyph Gang delivered a perfect run—completing every single mission in just 2.5 minutes for a flawless score of 420 points. That's robotics perfection, folks!
Team Members: Sebastian Bonomolo (Orange Grove), David Bui (Orange Grove), Lucas Byrne (Orange Grove), Max Hao (Orange Grove), Graham Martin (Orange Grove), Elise Peterson (Orange Grove), Aaheli Shil (Orange Grove)
Team 5156 Cool Corps - 9th Place (360 points)
Team Members: Damon Hayden (Orange Grove), Nicholas Huttenhoff (Sunrise Drive), Kodi Iatarola (Sunrise Drive), Nathaniel Musil (Esperero Canyon), Jackson Smith (Orange Grove), Brendan Sult (Orange Grove), Cillian Walsh (Orange Grove)
Team 5155 Rock Stars - 13th Place (340 points)
Team Members: Lucian Calvert (Orange Grove), Adam Elitzer (Manzanita), Hartley Emms (Orange Grove), Marshall Hayden (Sunrise Drive), Turner Jason (Orange Grove), Kaveh Parseghian (Sunrise Drive), Charlie Teeple (Sunrise Drive), Connor Yau (Orange Grove)
Team 27725 Fragment Finders - 14th Place (335 points) + Motivate Award
Team Members: Ishwari Bandopadhay (Sunrise Drive), Jotham David (Sunrise Drive), Aiden Pires (Sunrise Drive), Amelie Puell (Sunrise Drive), Theodore Thome (Sunrise Drive), Daniel Trombetta (Sunrise Drive), Opal Vinal (Sunrise Drive), Ethan Xue (Sunrise Drive), Melody Yu (Orange Grove), Ethan Dockins (Ventana Vista)
The Dream Team Behind the Teams
None of this would be possible without our incredible coaches and mentors:
Team Coaches: Charlotte Ackerman and Nancy Hsiao
CFHS Student Mentors: Nathan Wu, Ethan Lin, Christian Pierson, and Owen Cantor-Goldner (members of the Pioneer Robotics Club and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team)
These high school students are paying it forward, mentoring younger students and showing them what's possible when you combine passion, persistence, and teamwork.
Community Schools: Travis Kolter, Debbie Ross, and our entire Community Schools team keep our afterschool programs like FLL humming!
What is FIRST Lego League
FIRST Lego League (FLL) introduces young people (grades 4-8), to the fun and excitement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It is designed for students do the research and problem solving, which are integral parts of each element of STEM, to meet the yearly Challenge. Students identify a problem and develop an innovative solution.
There are three elements that make up the Challenge: 1. programming an autonomous robot (the Robot Game), 2. creating innovative solutions to a problem (the Project) 3. following the FLL Core Values where the children learn that helping one another and the spirit of friendly competition is the foundation of teamwork.
Each year’s Challenge is similar to real challenges faced by scientists and engineers, which leads to an understanding of the work of these professionals and an exposure to career options. The Project gives the teams the opportunity to more deeply explore the theme of the Challenge and propose a solution to a problem they select.
The teams present their projects for feedback from the judges, who often are experts in the Challenge field. FIRST Lego League imparts valuable life skills and excitement about how our students can make a difference in the world.
FIRST Lego League in CFSD
In Catalina Foothills School District, students who participate in FIRST Lego League (FLL) are afforded unique experiences involving a team approach to engineering, programming, problem solving, and research. FLL equips students with tools to be successful in a rapidly-evolving world. FLL presents students with real-world situations and challenges in which they develop their abilities to think critically, apply knowledge at high levels and use technology to access, evaluate and communicate information.
Led by Charlotte Ackerman, CFSD’s Teacher Leader for Science and Engineering, FLL team members work together over a 14-week session to address the current FLL mission and prepare for competition in December.