TAMPA, Fla. — The Minotaur Robotics team at Middleton High School is gearing up for a world competition.

What You Need To Know

  • Middleton High's Minotaur Robotics team is one of 600 competing in the international FIRST competition in Houston, Texas

  • The competition will begin April 16

  • Students earned the spot in the world competition by winning the Engineering Inspiration Award, an award that recognizes the robot, teamwork and community involvement

  • Their robot is named Daedulus, after the mythical architect that created the maze to house the Minotaur

The young engineers will be one of 600 teams competing in the 2025 FIRST Championship in Houston. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”

The young engineers have been working hard to get their robot, Daedalus, ready for the trip. It’s a big accomplishment.

The Middleton team earned its spot in the international competition by winning the Engineering Inspiration Award. That award recognized the team for their robot, their teamwork and their STEM work in the community.

“The award we won to get us to worlds, teams have been chasing for 15-20 years of their existence,” said Middleton Robotics Coach and Teacher Robert Dodson.

“Everyone was in shock,” said Middleton Robotics Club President Bhuvesh Arveti. “We weren’t really expecting it.”

When Arveti started Middleton, the entire robotics team was in shambles. The coach remembers it well.

“COVID, like many other groups and organizations, ripped the team apart,” Dodson said. “The mentors left, the teachers left, and then there was nobody.”

But eventually, the team grew from about 20 students to over a hundred. And Arveti said all their hard work and dedication has paid off in a big way.

“It’s actually a dream come true,” Arveti said.

Middleton isn’t the only Bay area school competing in the FIRST competition. Palm Harbor University High School’s robotics team is also headed to Houston.

This year’s championship competition begins April 16.