Recent News Articles about the Longwood RoboLions
Nine FIRST Long Island Robotics Teams to Receive Award Grants from Optimum
By Chris Boyle, LongIsland.com May 14th 2025
Optimum, the leading provider of fiber internet, mobile, TV, and phone services, is thrilled to announce the winners of the sixth annual Optimum Innovator Awards, which recognizes FIRST Robotics Competition teams for their innovation and efforts in areas such as community engagement, technology, inspiration, diversity, and sustainability. This year, Optimum is distributing over $25,000 worth of grants to five winners, five runners-up, and 18 honorable mentions to support their continued growth, creativity, and innovation.
With the 2025 season of FIRST competitions completed, the Optimum Innovator Awards recognizes the drive and hard work that teams have displayed throughout the year – from donating Braille STEM kits to launching a “Protect the Pollinators” project that aims to spread the word about pollinators. As FIRST students prepare for the next competition season, the Optimum Innovator Awards further supports their efforts to find new and innovative ways to design and engineer their robots as well as inspires them to create a positive change in the world.
As a long-time supporter of FIRST, an organization that provides students with mentor-based programs to build science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills, Optimum is committed to deepening its community presence as well as championing local programs that help inspire and educate future innovators. Optimum’s continued partnership with FIRST is a concrete example of the company’s dedication to celebrating what makes each of its local communities unique and making a positive impact for the residents, businesses, and organizations that call these places home.
This year, Optimum demonstrated its unwavering commitment to FIRST by sponsoring over 70 teams and six regional competitions within its footprint. These efforts helped provide essential resources and tools for FIRST teams to build and program their robots. Furthermore, Optimum employees actively participated by volunteering at regional competitions and mentoring FIRST students. The company also awarded $1,000 grants to 18 of their sponsored teams that qualified to compete in the prestigious FIRST Championship, a four-day international event that marks the culmination of the robotics competition season.
Optimum Innovator Award winners will receive grants of $2,000; runners-up will receive $1,500; and honorable mentions will receive $500. To continue celebrating the winners’ accomplishments, Optimum will host recognition events with local officials and key community partners joining to show their support.
2025 Optimum Innovator Award Winners
Inclusion Award
- Winner: Delta Overload Robotics (Indianola, MS)
- Runner-up: Rebel Robotics (Great Neck, NY)
Excellence in Technology Award
- Winner: Horsepower (Kingwood, TX)
- Runner-up: Ossining O-Bots (Ossining, NY)
Community Impact Award
- Winner: POBots (Plainview, NY)
- Runner-up: Bionic Bulldogs (Kingman, AZ)
Inspiration Award
- Winner: The Soaring Colts (Dix Hills, NY)
- Runner-up: Regal Eagles (Bethpage, NY)
Sustainability Award
- Winner: Putnam Area Robotics Team (Winfield, WV)
- Runner-up: Bionic Panthers (Liberty Hill, TX)
Honorable Mentions
- Brooklyn Blacksmiths (Brooklyn, NY)
- MEGALODONS (Brooklyn, NY)
- FeMaidens (Bronx, NY)
- 8 Bit RAMs (Clarkstown, NY)
- Tech Devils (Denville, NJ)
- Warhawks (Edison, NJ)
- Hauppauge Robotics Eagles (Hauppauge, NY)
- Hicksville J-Birds (Hicksville, NY)
- SWLA Tech Pirates (Lake Charles, LA)
- Westerner Robotics (Lubbock, TX)
- Longwood RoboLions (Middle Island, NY)
- Bomb Squad (Mountain Home, AR)
- Knightronz (Nanuet, NY)
- Cybercats (Old Westbury, NY)
- Full Metal Jackets (Rockwall, TX)
- The Mechanical Bulls (Smithtown, NY)
- SMART (Sylva, NC)
- uNReal (Thiells, NY)
Team 564 Attends STEAM Day at NYS Capitol
Tuesday May 6th 2025
The Longwood RoboLions traveled to the New York State Capitol
yesterday to participate in Assembly Member Jen Lunsford’s STEAM Day,
advocating for increased STEAM funding for Title I schools with
robotics programs. During their visit, the team met with Assembly
Members Jodi Giglio, Joe DeStefano, and Rebecca Kassay, who represent
the Longwood School District, as well as other legislators from across
Long Island, New York City, and the Hudson Valley.
As a highlight of the day, the RoboLions were honored on the Assembly
floor during the legislative session and received formal Proclamations
from Assembly Member Joe DeStefano and Rebecca Kassay recognizing
their outstanding achievements during the past season.
The RoboLions’ participation reflects their commitment to advancing
access to STEAM education and stress the vital impact robotics
programs have in empowering students in schools. We are extremely
proud of the way the RoboLions’ represented Longwood Central School
District in our state capitol.
Five Long Island FIRST Robotics Teams Head to Championship in Houston, Optimum Provides Donation to Support Each Team
By Christ Boyle April 11th 2025
Five FIRST robotics team from Long Island will be heading to the FIRST Championship next week in Houston to compete in a four-day robotics international competition, beginning Wednesday, April 16. To continue supporting the team, Optimum, local provider of internet, mobile, TV, and phone services, is providing an additional $1,000 to the teams, which include:
- POBots from Plainview-Old Bethpage High School
- RoboLions from Longwood High School
- Hicksville Jbirds from Hicksville High School
- Rebel Robotics from Great Neck South High School
- Wild Reds from Mineola High School
FIRST is a robotics community where each year FIRST teams build and program a robot to perform the season’s challenge, and this year’s ocean-inspired challenge is REEFSCAPE. Throughout the season, students learn engineering and problem-solving skills as they compete for awards, create a team identity, raise funds, hone teamwork skills, and advance appreciation for STEM in their community.
As part of Optimum’s long-standing partnership with FIRST, the company sponsors 15 FIRST robotics teams on Long Island, providing them with resources and tools needed to build a robot to compete throughout the competition season. Of the 15 FIRST Long Island teams Optimum sponsors, five will be heading to the Championship, with Optimum providing an additional $1,000 to each team to support their efforts, bringing the company’s total contribution for each team to $2,000.
Newsday – April 10th
Longwood RoboLions and 3 other LI Robotics Teams Advance to Nationals
By Michael R. Ebert [email protected]
Four Long Island teams are advancing to the national level after winning top awards at the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition Long Island Regional.
The 2025 competition included 49 high school teams that designed and built robots using a kit of parts ranging from control systems to game components. They then competed in an alliance-style tournament last month at Hofstra University in Hempstead under the theme of “Reefscape,” which challenged teams to “score coral, harvest algae and attach robots to a barge,” according to competition officials.
The RoboLions (Team #564) from Longwood High School in Middle Island won the FIRST Impact Award, the most prestigious honor and recognizes the team that “best represents a model for other teams to emulate,” according to FIRST officials. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”
The winning alliance included Longwood’s RoboLions as well as Kings Park High School’s Kingsmen Robotics (Team #3736) and Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School’s POBots (Team #353). Mineola High School’s Mineola Wild Reds (Team #6806) won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award.
The four teams are now eligible for the national robotics championship in Houston April 16-19.
“This was one of the best Long Island regionals we’ve experienced,” Bertram Dittmar, the executive director for FIRST Long Island, wrote in a statement. “All participating teams demonstrated tremendous teamwork, gracious professionalism and critical thinking. The fun and excitement of the competition was evident as many students and mentors got caught up in the spirit of the event.”
Long Island Times – March 27 2025
FIRST Long Island announces regional winners of robotics competition
Jared Scot
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Long Island presented its 2025 Long Island Regional on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22 at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex in Hempstead.
Forty-nine teams from Long Island, New York City, and India took part in the four-day competition, which culminated with awards and honors for areas such as design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high-impact partnerships among schools, businesses and communities.
“This was one of the best Long Island Regionals we’ve experienced,” said Bertram Dittmar, executive director, FIRST Long Island. “All participating teams demonstrated tremendous teamwork, gracious professionalism™ and critical thinking. The fun and excitement of the competition was evident as many students and mentors got caught up in the spirit of the event.”
The Long Island Regional featured teams of high school-aged students from across Long Island, the New York metropolitan area and even around the world competing in a cooperative tournament-style robotics competition. Guided by their mentors, students rely on their skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play and sportsmanship.
The winners of the 2025 Long Island Regional were the three-team alliance made up of “Kingsmen Robotics” (Team #3736) from Kings Park High School, “POBots” (Team #353) from Plainview-Old Bethpage/JFK High School and “Longwood RoboLions” (Team #564) from Longwood High School.
“Longwood RoboLions” from Longwood High School in Middle Island took home the coveted FIRST Impact Award, the event’s most prestigious award, which recognizes the team that best embodies the goals and purpose of FIRST and that best represents a model for other teams to emulate. “Mineola Wild Reds” (Team #6806) from Mineola High School won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award.
These teams are now eligible to compete at the 2025 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, from Wednesday, April 16 through Saturday, April 19.
Ashwin Shah, team mentor, Team #9692 “Sigma Powered By Adipro” from Mumbai, India, was named a finalist for the Woodie Flowers Award. Winners of the Dean’s List Finalist Award were Matthew L of Team #810 “The Mechanical Bulls” from Smithtown High School and Igor D of Team #6806 “Mineola Wild Reds” from Mineola High School.
For more information on FIRST Long Island, please visit www.firstlongisland.org.
FIRST Long Island (SBPLI) – March 26th 2025
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Long Island presented its 2025 Long Island Regional on March 21-22 at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex in Hempstead. Forty-nine teams from Long Island, New York City, and India took part in the four-day FIRST® Robotics Competition. This event culminated with awards and honors for areas such as design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high-impact partnerships among schools, businesses and communities.
The winner of the 2025 Long Island Regional was the three-team alliance made up of “Kingsmen Robotics” (Team #3736) from Kings Park High School, “POBots” (Team #353) from Plainview-Old Bethpage/JFK High School and “Longwood RoboLions” (Team #564) from Longwood High School. “Longwood RoboLions” (Team #564) from Longwood High School in Middle Island took home the coveted FIRST Impact Award, which is the event’s most prestigious award. It recognizes the team that best embodies the goals and purpose of FIRST and that best represents a model for other teams to emulate. “Mineola Wild Reds” (Team #6806) from Mineola High School won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. These teams are now eligible to compete at the 2025 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, from April 16-19.
Ashwin Shah, Team Mentor, Team #9692 “Sigma Powered By Adipro” from Mumbai, India, was named a Finalist for the Woodie Flowers Award. Winners of the Dean’s List Finalist Award wereMatthew L of Team #810 “The Mechanical Bulls” from Smithtown High School and Igor D of Team #6806 “Mineola Wild Reds” from Mineola High School.
“This was one of the best Long Island Regionals we’ve experienced,” says Bertram Dittmar, Executive Director, FIRST Long Island. “All participating teams demonstrated tremendous teamwork, gracious professionalism™ and critical thinking. The fun and excitement of the competition was evident as many students and mentors got caught up in the spirit of the event. Participants, volunteers, and sponsors had the opportunity to experience the beauty of engineering and technology combined with the excitement of a competitive event.”
As a FIRST® Robotics Competition, the Long Island Regional featured teams of high school-aged students from across Long Island, the New York metropolitan area and even around the world competing in a cooperative tournament-style robotics competition. Guided by their mentors, students rely on their skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play and sportsmanship. This high-energy event further emphasizes the importance of high-impact partnerships between students, universities, businesses, and communities.
This year’s competition was dubbed REEFSCAPESM presented by Haas, in which two competing alliances are invited to score coral, harvest algae, and attach to the barge before time runs out. Alliances earn additional rewards for meeting specific scoring thresholds and for cooperating with their opponents. Human players provide the game pieces to the robots from the substations. In the last moments of each match, alliance robots race to dock or engage with their charge station.
Longwood School District – March 25th 2025
RoboLions Team 564 Dominate Regionals and Earn Spot at World Championships!
Congratulations to the Longwood RoboLions Team 564 and coaches, John Hirdt and Jennifer Stehle, for an outstanding performance at the FIRST Long Island Regional competition at Hofstra University, securing the Regional Championship alongside their alliance partners, the Kingmen (Team 5736) and POBots (Team 353).
In addition, the RoboLions also earned the prestigious Impact Award, the highest honor of the event, which qualifies them for the World Championships in Houston, Texas. The esteemed award recognizes teams that demonstrate sustained excellence, meaningful community outreach, and a strong commitment to promoting STEM and the mission of FIRST.
As Hall of Fame members, the RoboLions will serve as ambassadors, mentoring other teams and advocating for STEM education on a global stage.
Team 564 continues to make a profound impact both in competition and within the community. Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement!