First Lego League Robotics Challenge for Grades 4 - 8

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Young innovators from the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District made their mark at the FIRST Lego League Spring Showdown on May 3rd, 2025, with two REACH PYL teams capturing top honors among a competitive field of 40 robotics teams.

The F.I.R.E Sharks emerged as Spring Showdown Champions following an impressive display of technical skill, strategic thinking, and teamwork. Led by coaches, Heather Mulkey and David Hibbard, the team overcame significant obstacles—including a devastating code loss just days before competition—to place 5th in the Robot Game and claim 3rd in the high-pressure "On the Spot" Challenge, where they formed alliances with other teams to code missions within a one-hour timeframe.

"These students exemplify resilience," said Coach Mulkey, whose team had previously been recognized as "Rising Stars" after advancing to regionals in the fall. "Despite setbacks that would derail many competitors, they maintained their positivity and collaborative spirit. Their dedication and inclusive approach truly earned them this championship."

In what many observers called the weekend's most inspiring comeback, the Hero Hunting Techno Kids dominated the Robot Game competition, securing 1st place with the tournament's highest score. The achievement marked a triumphant reversal for the team coached by Ken Tam and Alfred Chang—the only REACH Foundation team from the fall season's six entrants that did not advance to the regionals.

"Rather than accepting defeat, our students transformed disappointment into determination," Coach Tam explained. The diverse team—drawing members from Fairmont Elementary, Woodsboro Elementary, Travis Ranch Elementary, and the Orange County School of Computer Science—demonstrated remarkable growth in both technical abilities and interpersonal skills throughout the competition's timed missions, technical interviews, and collaborative challenges.

The Spring Showdown, hosted at Don Bosco Technical Institute (Rosemead), tests competitors not only on robotics performance but also on core values central to the FIRST organization's mission. Teams face rigorous evaluation of their robot design strategy during technical interviews that assess both innovation and execution.

Gisele Nguyen, who leads the REACH Foundation's FIRST Lego League program with assistance from middle school and high school interns, has established a robotics pipeline that provides elementary and middle school students with critical exposure to engineering concepts, programming fundamentals, and problem-solving methodologies.

Parents and educators throughout the district praised the program for cultivating technological literacy alongside essential character development, with both championship teams exemplifying the transformative impact of STEAM-focused extracurricular opportunities on student growth and achievement.

The Foundation appreciates the support of Dr. Olivia Yaung, Mr. Eddie Tabata, Mr. Matt Callaway, Head Coaches: Mary Ahn, Heather Mulkey, Ken Tam, and Madura Shaligram and REACH Interns & Ambassadors from Kraemer, VHS & EHS: Jolie Yang, Shaurya Nagare, Samihan Shaligram, Avaneesh Nagare, Zoe Ahn, Aarav Patel and Jyllian Panyapinitnugoon.

Congratulations to the following team members for their participation in the Spring Showdown:

1) F.I.R.E. SHARKS: Abby Mulkey, Chloe Hibbard, Sophia Casillas, Katherin Pak, Jona Turin, Kensey Yoshida, and Nathan Keller from Travis Ranch & Fairmont. 

2) Hero Hunting Techno Kids: Kyle Chang, Rustin Limoochi, Coen Olson, Layla Pham, Matthew Tam, River Yeh, and Ryder Yeh from Fairmont, Woodsboro, Travis Ranch, and Orange County School of Computer Science.

3) Robotics Chicken: Zane Ahn, Raaghav Deoghare, Derek Luu, Max Mills, Matthias Cheung, Bentley Masters, Jonathan Cherdsuriya and Jordan Armand from Kraemer, Golden and Woodsboro.

The Hero Hunting Techno Kids competed in the First Lego League (FLL) Spring Showdown 2025 competition this past Saturday and the team placed 1st in the Robot Game with a top score out of 39 teams!  Over the past 2+ months, the team has been meeting at Travis Ranch along with other new and returning students to learn about robotics through the FLL Challenge Program administered by the REACH Foundation team led by Ms. Gisele Nguyen and the REACH MS & HS Interns.  The team competed in three rounds of timed missions, robot design and core value interviews, and worked collaboratively with other competing teams to code an "on the spot" challenge.  The team was coached by Mr. Ken Tam and Mr. Alfred Chang.

The 1st place finish is especially meaningful for the students of the Hero Hunting Techno Kids as they were the only team fielded by the REACH Foundation that did not advance to the qualifying round during this past fall season competition.  Instead of giving up, the team came back stronger, fueled by passion, persistence, and teamwork. The team roster included Kyle Chang, Rustin Limoochi, Coen Olson, Layla Pham, Matthew Tam, River Yeh, and Ryder Yeh.  

The students hail from Fairmont Elementary, Woodsboro Elementary, Travis Ranch Elementary, and Orange County School of Computer Science.

"I am so proud of the team for coming back from the adversity they experienced from the Fall Season.  Instead of hanging their heads, the team came back together, learned from their mistakes, and grew together…not just as coders, mission strategists, and attachment builders—but as teammates, leaders, and problem-solvers.  

While improving from our fall season was great, the true reward was seeing the team grow right before our eyes during the competition.  I am so proud of the teams' accomplishments and look forward to what’s next in the Fall season!  I also wanted to give a special Thank You to the REACH Foundation and Ms. Gisele Nguyen for her continued tireless efforts to support and bring the FLL program to PYLUSD." - Ken Tam