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McKinney STEAM Academy & FIRST Inspires

FIRST Inspires & the McKinney STEAM Academy

FIRST Inspires is an international non-profit organization that facilitates robotics competitions for students from elementary through high school. FIRST in Texas is our local arm of FIRST Inspires.

All McKinney STEAM Academy robotics teams are registered with and compete with FIRST Inspires and FIRST in Texas. Additionally, the MSA hosts events on behalf of FIRST Inspires for coaches and students.

McKinney STEAM Academy has teams at all three levels of FIRST competitions: FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST Robotics Competition.

FIRST® LEGO® League

Grades: 2-6

Applications: May - Aug (or roster full)

Off Season Skill Development: June-July

Regular Season: August-January

Championship Season: February

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a dynamic robotics competition merging LEGO building with real-world problem-solving. Teams of youngsters collaborate to construct and program autonomous robots using LEGO Mindstorms kits for themed field missions.

FLL integrates research and presentation elements, prompting teams to tackle real-world issues and suggest inventive solutions. It fosters STEM skills, teamwork, critical thinking, and creativity, empowering young minds as tomorrow's innovators.

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MSA 2025 FLL Teams

50491 Next Gen Navigators

51620 Afterburner Alliance

54586 Velocity Vanguards

60892 Mission Ready Mercs

61724 Junior Jets

66072 Gear Guardians

66453 Mach Mechanics

67119 Mercenaries Shield Corps

67912 LegoLegends4U

71319 Airborne Inventors

FIRST® Tech Challenge

Grades: 7-12

Applications: May - Sept (or roster full)

Off Season Skill Development: June-Aug

Regular Season: Sept-Dec

Championship Season: Jan-Feb

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) provides hands-on robot design, building, and programming experience. Teams collaborate using a versatile kit, incorporating advanced technologies like sensors and motors. Matches on the competition field challenge robots' autonomy and driver control.

FTC prioritizes teamwork, sportsmanship, and professionalism, nurturing future engineers passionate about innovation and problem-solving.

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MSA 2025 FTC Teams

17011 Mercenary Robotics

18121 Max Throttle Mavericks

20166 Mercenary Guardians

20195 Code of Duty

21743 Digital Defenders

26295 Runway Rebels

26589 Mercenary Strikeforce

31625 Crosswind Cadets

31626 Software Sentinels

FIRST® Robotics Competition

Grades: 8-12

Applications: June - Dec (or roster full)

Off Season Skill Development: June-Dec

Regular Season: Jan-March

Championship Season: April

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) increases the scale and complexity of the robots and competitions. FRC is designed for high school students and involves larger teams building robots weighing up to 125 pounds, competing on expansive fields in alliances of three teams each. The challenges in FRC are intricate and typically involve multiple objectives, requiring advanced engineering and strategic planning.

Our FRC students typically custom fabricate most of their robot learning CAD, CNC, laser, powder coating, and basic power tool skills in the process.

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