Students from the Muskogee High School robotics team will be among the first to represent the school in a debut appearance at a world tournament mid-April in Houston, Texas. Building on more than a decade of award-winning competition at the state level, the team anticipates a strong performance at the competition. 

Muskogee’s Innovative Team (MIT) has competed for 13 years in the FIRST Tech Challenge League. Earlier this month the team advanced to a higher level of competition by competing in their first FIRST Robotics League competition at the Oklahoma Regional Tournament in Shawnee where they earned the Rookie All-Star award and secured a spot in the world tournament. 

The MIT robotics team is led by Janet Lopez. Lopez has been a teacher at Muskogee High School since 2011 and with the robotics team since 2012. During this time, the team has experienced numerous stand-out competition appearances. She is assisted by MHS instructor Scott Kanny. 

The competition will take place April 19 through April 22. The team traveling to Houston includes captains Keeghan Hess and Phat Nguyen along with Hollie Courtney, Agustin Delgado, Eric Hall, James Mackey, Addison Plunket, Alan Sargent, and JoAnn Shepherd.

To help offset travel and lodging expenses, the team is hosting a Pancake Breakfast at the Muskogee High School on Saturday, April 1 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The breakfast includes all you can eat pancakes and sausage along with choice of beverage. Suggested donation is $10. The team has t-shirts and sweatshirts for sale for $20 or $35. Donations are also welcomed. 

Members of the media interested in covering the robotics team, email [email protected].

To learn more about how to support the team, email [email protected].