GSofSI Teams to Continue FIRST Robotics Competition in 2026
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois' squads will carry their competitive spirits into 2026 in FIRST Robotics. Thank you to American Water Charitible Foundation for helping us continue our legacy of Girl Scout Robotics.
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge
Koala Koders and Minecraft Bees will compete in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge Sectional Tournament on January 24 at Centralia Middle School. Teams that qualify during this event will move on to the Illinois State Tournament on February 15 at Elgin Community College in Elgin.
In FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge, students in grades 4-8 plan and build an autonomous robot that they program to navigate missions that score points on a gameboard. They also conduct an extensive research project. After several weeks of preparation, teams meet at regional tournaments where they compete using their robots and deliver a research presentation.
FIRST Tech Challenge
In addition, GSofSI's FIRST Tech Challenge Teams have been excelling in competition. Currently Gear Girls is ranked #2 and P3 is ranked 8 out of 20 total teams in the Southern Division. Their next meet will be January 17 at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, followed by the Southern Central League Tournament on February 7 at Wesclin Senior High School in Trenton.
In FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), students in grades 7-12 learn to think like engineers. Teams design, build, and code robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams.
About American Water Charitable Foundation
In 2010, American Water established the American Water Charitable Foundation. Grants provided by the American Water Charitable Foundation support impactful initiatives and programs throughout American Water’s national footprint.
January 06, 2026
