Date: October 4th, 2025

We helped organize the China Day event on Oct. 4th, 2025, a major cultural event. There, we demonstrated our robot and 3D printer to younger children, answered questions, and let over 80 students safely try operating the robot. 

We hosted the MD State STEM Festival on Nov 9th, 2025 for our 9th year, which attracted more than 350 people who had never been to a FIRST event prior to that. Before the event, we coordinated with 14 FIRST teams to respond to multiple exhibit requests and turn interest into a booth plan. 

During a regional Science Olympiad competition for middle school students, our FTC team hosted an interactive outreach showcase to connect with students who are already passionate about STEM and invite them into the FIRST community. We engaged 200+ students and parents from multiple middle schools in Maryland and DC through live robot demonstrations and hands-on driver interaction.

At the Laurel, MD Qualifier II, we placed 6th in qualifications with a 3-2-0 record showing strong consistency. After two matches, we were ranked 1st in the qualifier and 6th in the World in terms of OPR. We were picked by the #3 alliance (Pigeon Bots!) and played 5 matches. In judging, we earned 3rd Inspire with nominations in Reach, Sustain, Control, Design and Think. 

We fought hard in the Blue Crab division, getting 15th place in Qualifications after 7 matches. We were picked into the 4th alliance and played 3 matches before elimination. We worked hard in the pit interviews and received the Reach Winner award. Our hard work at the Chesapeake Championship allowed us to get 11th overall out of 96 teams and to advance to the FTC Championship in Houston, Texas. 

At the 2026 FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship (Jackson Division), Team 26115 (Alphabots) competed against top international teams and placed 37th out of 55 teams in their division during qualification matches. As a second-year team (rookie year 2024), qualifying for and competing at Worlds marked a major milestone, demonstrating rapid growth and the ability to perform on the global stage against elite competition. In addition to their on-field performance, the team earned the Sustainability Award, recognizing their long-term impact, outreach consistency, and commitment to building a lasting STEM community.