CFSD Community Schools Robotics Team Named Rising Stars at American Robotics Invitational

They arrived with matching headbands, a passion for ancient rock carvings, and a robot built to impress. They left with a national award and the attention of the entire tournament.CFSD's FIRST LEGO League Team 5158, the Glyph Gang, earned the Rising All-Star Award at the 2026 American Robotics Open Championship (AROC) at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, on June 6 and 7. The team competed against 68 teams representing 44 states, each of them having earned their spot by finishing in the top 10% of their state or regional competition. To win an award in that field is remarkable. Being recognized for excellence in every judged category is proof that CFSD was ready to rock.
What the Award Means
The Rising All-Star Award is given to a team for achievement across all four judged categories: Robot Design, Robot Performance, Innovation Project, and Core Values. The judges specifically highlighted the team's rack-and-pinion gearing system and their petroglyph education project when announcing the award.
The Glyph Gang also earned one of the most coveted distinctions of the tournament: their Innovation Project presentation was selected as one of only three in the entire 68-team field for an encore presentation to all teams and attendees as part of the closing ceremony. In the robot competition itself, they were among just 12 teams to score above 400 points.
A Project Rooted in Home
The team's Innovation Project centered on a simulation designed to educate peers about why petroglyphs matter and why they must be protected, a topic with deep roots in our rocky desert home. Their robot used a rack-and-pinion system that made attachments easy to adapt, a design choice the judges called out for its ingenuity.
But it was their presentation that may have left the deepest impression.
"What made our presentation unique is that we did it in rhyming couplets," says Coach Ackerman. "It was a revelation to discover that using poetry we could present a lot of information with a few well-chosen words!"
"Other teams read off scripts and screens," noted Elise's parents, John and Holly Peterson. "Elise even used her Mr. Bindschadler presentation skills during her pit speeches. After their encore presentation, we had multiple families, teams, and coaches come up to compliment their presentation skills."
Resilience When It Counted Most
The tournament tested more than the team's robotics skills. When teammate Lucas fell ill and could not participate on the second day of competition, the rest of the Glyph Gang had to adapt quickly: covering his lines, adjusting robot transitions on the fly, and staying focused under pressure.
"They were phenomenal under pressure and overcame a lot," said Graham's mom, Libby Martin. "These kids are truly the future."
The Petersons saw the same grit throughout the weekend. "They learned a great lesson in pivoting when a failed arm had them making last-minute coding changes between final runs," they wrote. "The skills they learn in robotics will be lifelong: teamwork, resiliency, and adaptability."
Six Months of Commitment
The Glyph Gang's journey to New Jersey began in January when the team received its invitation to the AROC. Rather than coast through the end of the school year, the team chose to keep meeting weekly all the way through June to make sure they were ready. That commitment, sustained over months and across a full school year of competing and refining, is what made the difference on the national stage.
The team was coached by Charlotte Ackerman and community volunteer Nancy Hsiao, and it is run through our Community Schools program.
The Team
The Glyph Gang is made up of Sebastian Bonomolo, David Bui, Lucas Byrne, Graham Martin, Max Hao, Elise Peterson, and Aaheli Shil.
Orange Grove Principal Mark Rubin-Toles, who celebrated the team in a letter to students and families, said it well: "This is an incredible validation of your hard work, creativity, insight, and resourcefulness. You should be proud!"
CFSD is proud too. Congratulations, Glyph Gang — on the award, on the recognition, and on showing 68 teams from across the country what students from Tucson, Arizona, can do.
For more information on our FIRST Lego League program, visit Community Schools FLL page. It serves grades 4-8, and the next season starts in August!