The Galactic Buffs 5.0 robotics team from Sgt. Jose F. Carrasco Elementary School demonstrated their exceptional coding, programming and building skills to win the top prize, the Inspire Award, at ROBOCOM 12.
They faced tough competition from 44 teams across the district during the day-long contest on Dec. 13 at Americas High School.
“I feel very grateful, and our team worked hard for this. And I'm glad that we tried our best and we worked together as a team,” said fourth-grader Ivanna Soto, a Galactic Buffs 5.0 team member.
As a result of their success, the team advanced to the West Texas FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Championship at the University of Texas at El Paso in January, where they qualified for the state competition this spring.
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.
This year, students showcased their engineering creativity and technical skills by putting their robots to the test in a series of missions inspired by the theme “Unearthed.” Tasks included clearing soil, managing minecarts, operating a forge, and raising statues to "dig deeper" into history.
Teams were judged on how well their robot met the criteria and how successfully it performed each challenge. As part of the competition, students also developed an innovation project where they identified a problem faced by archaeologists and proposed a solution to a panel of judges.
In addition to coding and helping with their robot’s design, Celeste Deck, a seventh grader at John Drugan School, chanted “Let’s go Dragons,” to cheer her team during the competition.
“I really like robotics because I like to build things with Legos and stuff,” said Deck, who is looking forward to participating in future competitions.
Stephanie Carrasco, SISD coordinator for Advanced Academics, said ROBOCOM has created a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) pipeline for SISD students.
“After 12 years of doing this, we now have a rich program of students from elementary through high school and even onto the collegiate level,” Carrasco said.
Landon Talamantes, a seventh grader at Socorro Middle School, is considering becoming an engineer. This was the second time he participated in the annual competition. His favorite mission involved using his robot to completely raise a sunken ship.
“It always feels good coming here, having the best experience with the robots and seeing what we could do best,” Talamantes said.
2025 ROBOCOM 12 Winners
Inspire Award
Sgt. Jose F. Carrasco Elementary School, Galactic Buffs 5.0
Innovation Project
1st Place – Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy, Fossilizers
2nd Place – Sgt. Jose F. Carrasco Elementary School, Galactic Buffs 5.0
3rd Place – James P. Butler Elementary School, Ancient Paws
Robot Games
1st Place – James P. Butler Elementary School, Ancient Paws
2nd Place – Eastlake Middle School, Raventech Robotics
3rd Place – Bill Sybert School, Scorpion Fossilitators
Robot Desing
1st Place – Sun Ridge Middle School, OKEABOTS
2nd Place – Campestre Elementary School, Cobra Cryptonauts
3rd Place – Bill Sybert School, Scorpion Fossilitators
Core Values
1st Place – Sgt. Jose F. Carrasco Elementary School, Galactic Buffs 5.0
2nd Place – Bill Sybert School, Scorpion Fossilitators
3rd Place – James P. Butler Elementary School, Ancient Paws