Americas High School was filled with excitement as 47 robotics teams from the Socorro Independent School District showcased their skills and creativity during the ROBOCOM XI competition on Dec. 14.
Sun Ridge Middle School’s all-female team, the OKEABOTS, claimed the competition’s top prize, the Inspire award. They were also among 25 teams that advanced to the FIRST Lego League (FLL) competition on Jan. 11 at the University of Texas at El Paso, where they earned second place in the Innovation Project Award.
David Justo, the OKEABOTS coach and CTE Gateway/technology teacher at Sun Ridge, congratulated his team on X (formerly Twitter) for a job well done at FLL and ROBOCOM XI.
“The achievement of the 6th-grade girls winning the 2nd place Innovation Project reflects teamwork and determination. They are solving real-world problems & serve as an inspiration for young girls to explore and excel in STEM fields. #FIRSTLEGOLeague #TeamSISD,” Justo wrote.
Every year, ROBOCOM challenges fourth-to eighth-grade students across the district to build interactive robots using Legos, while enhancing their knowledge of programming, coding and teamwork. The competition allows participants to engage in real-world science and technological challenges, following FLL guidelines.
Through cheers and applause from parents and friends, students demonstrated their computer programming and critical thinking skills by testing their robots during various missions that reflected this year’s theme, “Submerged.”
Teams used their STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the ocean's surface. Some of the missions included feeding a whale, delivering a scuba diver to a coral nursery and finding treasure.
Ana Mendez, a fifth grader at Mission Ridge Elementary School, felt a little nervous before the competition, but once the first round started, she jumped into action.
“I liked it pretty much. It felt good,” said Mendez, the robot’s driver for her team, Nautical Owlbots. "I liked how I was leading my robotics team, and I was able to do all four missions.”
Teams were judged on how well their robot met the criteria and how successful it performed each challenge. As part of the competition, students also developed an innovation project where they researched a problem related to the ocean and then presented their solution to a panel of judges.
Stephanie Carrasco, SISD coordinator for Advanced Academics, said the competition was an opportunity for students to combine their robotic skills with their artistic abilities.
"It's a really, really neat experience for these kiddos who maybe haven't had a lot of time to think about the ocean, and so when we look at these opportunities, this is one of those where it's STEM with a big leaning into the arts as well because students develop a presentation that they then present to a set of judges. And then it's not just about robots, because there is the innovation project as well as core values,” Carrasco said.
In addition to introducing younger students to STEM fields, the program equips them with the necessary skills to continue their robotics experience from elementary through high school.
High school students like eleventh-grader Alex Vasquez, who participated in ROBOCOM during elementary and middle school, volunteered as referees, resetters, and video judges at the competition. Vasquez has been involved in robotics since fourth grade and is a member of the Montwood High School robotics team. Last year, the team qualified for the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship.
As a referee at ROBOCOM, he ensured that the teams passed their inspections and accurately scored the matches. He remembered feeling intimidated by the judges during his own competitions at ROBOCOM when he was in fourth through sixth grade, and he hoped that the students didn’t feel the same way about him.
“It’s kind of astonishing. I never thought I'd be refereeing something that I so enjoyed,” Vasquez said.
For fifth-grader Ethan Phillps, a member of the team Submerged Suns from Hueco Elementary School, ROBOCOM was about having fun with his teammates.
“Sometimes we do have to be serious, but it is kind of fun because there are things that we do that are very fun. And it's exciting because we kind of don’t know what's going to happen,” Phillips said.
2025 ROBOCOM XI Winners
Inspire Award
Sun Ridge Middle School, OKEABOTS
Innovation Project
1st Place –Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy, Turtle Samurais
2nd Place – Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School, Coral Crusaders
3rd Place – James P. Butler Elementary School, TealWave Bots
Robot Games
1st Place – Sierra Vista STEAM Academy, STEAM Marines
2nd Place – Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy, Turtle Samurais
3rd Place – James P. Butler Elementary School, TealWave Bots
Robot Desing
1st Place – Sun Ridge Middle School, OKEABOTS
2nd Place – Sun Ridge Middle School, ST34MERS
3rd Place – Jane Hambric School, RoboHawks
Core Values
1st Place – Sun Ridge Middle School, ST34MERS
2nd Place – Sun Ridge Middle School, OKEABOTS
3rd Place – James P. Butler Elementary School, TealWave Bots