Kearney School District is proud to celebrate an outstanding accomplishment by the Kearney FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics Team.

This weekend, the team competed at the Missouri/Kansas West Super Qualifier, a highly competitive event that included 30 high school teams and six middle school teams. In qualification matches, Kearney finished 21st overall with a strong 13-9 record. The team is led by Head Coach Bart Morris.

In addition to competition play, teams were required to complete a 15-minute interview and present a 15-page portfolio highlighting their robot design, process, and teamwork. Kearney’s students excelled in that portion of the event and earned the 1st Place Innovation Award for their robot’s lifting mechanism. The team also impressed judges during the interview process with their exceptional explanation of the robot and its design.

What makes this achievement even more impressive is that Kearney’s team includes middle school and junior high students who competed successfully against teams from Kansas, Southwest Missouri and Central Missouri, and came away with one of the event’s top awards.

This success reflects the dedication, creativity, and perseverance of our students. Team members invested more than 1,800 hours in building, coding, planning, and sharing their work, all within just five months. Their effort and growth speak volumes about what students can accomplish when they rise to a challenge.

Congratulations to our Kearney FTC Robotics Team on an incredible season and a well-earned honor. We are proud of the way you represented Kearney School District on and off the competition floor!