Press Releases

Bentonville Robotics Team Earns Invitation to 2026 FIRST Championship in Houston Team 5454 Obsidian, the high school program of Technobotics Foundation, will join 600 teams from around the world at the sport’s biggest stage BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Team 5454 Obsidian, the high school FIRST Robotics Competition team of Technobotics Foundation, has been invited to compete at the 2026 FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, April 29 through May 2. The Championship is the culminating international event of the FIRST season, bringing together 600 FIRST Robotics Competition teams from around the world. For this Bentonville-based team, the invitation marks a significant competitive milestone and a reflection of years of community investment in STEM education, mentorship, and student development. Team 5454 Obsidian is the high school program of Technobotics Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates 36 active FIRST robotics teams serving 387 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. In the 2025–2026 season, the broader program represented more than 31 schools, with more than 100 practice sessions per week across its programs. The FRC team itself draws students from Bentonville West High School, Haas Hall Academy Bentonville, and homeschool families from Bentonville, Centerton, southwest Missouri, and Oklahoma the team is truly a regional, community-based team built across school systems and state lines. A Season of Engineering Excellence The road to Championship reflects an extraordinary investment of time and persistence. Ten Obsidian team members contributed a combined 1,006 volunteer hours this season, alongside long evenings of practice, repairs, mentoring sessions, and competition preparation. That commitment is visible in the robot the team built this year: a machine designed around quality, reliability, and competitive versatility. One of the robot’s boldest design choices is its 380-plus-degree turret, which allows scoring from anywhere on the field without requiring constant robot reorientation. Rather than functioning as disconnected mechanisms, the intake, spindexer, kicker, and turret were engineered as one continuous, integrated scoring pathway. More Than a Robot: A Culture of Belonging Just as important as the robot is the culture behind it. Technobotics Foundation states: “Belonging is not a byproduct of success—it is the foundation that makes success possible.” Students echo that sentiment clearly. FRC student Grayson Ernst shared that the program has “given me a place I fit in and the ability to do something I am passionate about.” Blaire Otte, another FRC participant, shared: “I have found a community within FIRST where I previously felt as if I had nothing,” adding that the friendships, mentors, and opportunities made “every tedious hour and frustrating repair worthwhile.” Across program surveys, participants rated the environment 4.8 out of 5 for meaningful relationships and inclusivity, and 100 percent said they would recommend the program. “Being invited to the FIRST Championship is an incredible honor for these students and a testament to the work they have put in all season. This team has invested hundreds of hours not only in building a high-performing robot, but also in mentoring younger students, growing as leaders, and creating a place where young people feel like they belong. Championship is a celebration of their engineering excellence, but it is also a celebration of their perseverance, their teamwork, and the community that helped make this possible.” — Kimberly Kay, Technobotics Foundation Impact Beyond One Team The impact of Technobotics Foundation extends well beyond Team 5454 Obsidian. The organization serves students across Benton and Washington Counties in Arkansas, McDonald County in Missouri, and Delaware County in Oklahoma, including students from public schools, homeschool groups, Boys & Girls Clubs, and classical academies. Its K–12 pipeline spans FLL Explore (kindergarten through 3rd grade), FLL Challenge (4th through 8th grade), FTC (6th through 12th grade), and FRC (9th through 12th grade), with peer mentorship flowing from the oldest students down to the youngest. Survey feedback from caregivers and students consistently points to confidence, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and real technical growth as lasting outcomes of participation. The program retains 85 percent of students in school-based programs and 90 percent in community-based programs year over year. How to Support the Team As Team 5454 Obsidian prepares for Houston, the team is fundraising to help cover the cost of the trip and to sustain Technobotics Foundation’s year-round robotics programming. As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Technobotics Foundation can accept tax-deductible donations of any size, and many employers may be able to match charitable contributions. Donate online: paypal.com/donate — Technobotics Foundation Community support will help send students to Championship while strengthening the long-term mentorship pipeline that serves hundreds of young people across the region. About Technobotics Foundation Technobotics Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a regional pipeline of FIRST robotics programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Through hands-on engineering, coding, teamwork, mentorship, and leadership development, Technobotics Foundation helps students build technical skills, confidence, belonging, and real-world problem-solving abilities. The organization serves students across Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma through school-based and community-based robotics opportunities. About FIRST FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a global robotics community that prepares young people for the future through mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills. Learn more at firstinspires.org. Media Contact Kimberly Kay Technobotics Foundation technobotics4h@gmail.com