Alamance County students head to Houston for robotics world championships

Students from 12 Alamance County schools turned a Burlington robotics program into a ticket to Houston, where they will compete next week at the 2026 FIRST Championship, one of the largest student STEM events in the world.

The Burlington-based team earned its place after regional competition and will join 600 FIRST Robotics Competition teams from around the globe at the George R. Brown Convention Center from Wednesday, April 29, through Saturday, May 2. FIRST says the championship, presented by BAE Systems, will bring together more than 1,000 student teams and 50,000 attendees across its programs, putting Alamance County students on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

The team’s reach across the county is part of what makes it stand out. Students from 12 Alamance County schools are involved, giving families in Burlington, Graham, Elon and surrounding communities a direct link into advanced robotics, engineering and programming experience without leaving the area. Among the students pictured with the robot are Trent Gerringer of The Hawbridge School, J.P. Penrod of River Mill Academy, Alain Stober of Orange High School, Spencer Critcher of Alamance Virtual School and Logan Thieken of Eastern High School.

FIRST said teams traveling to the championship must use its designated housing program, which includes more than 175 FIRST-reviewed hotel options for competitors and families. The organization has kept the George R. Brown Convention Center as the venue for the championship in 2025, 2026 and 2027, underscoring Houston’s role as the home base for the season-ending event.

For Alamance County, the trip is a visible sign that a local program based in Burlington can produce statewide and regional competition success while opening a route into science, technology, engineering and math for students from a wide range of schools. As the team heads to Houston, it carries not just a robot, but the county’s growing reputation for hands-on STEM achievement.