A new milestone for STEM education in Belize is set to unfold this week, as 10 talented high school students from Muffles College High School (MCHS) are preparing to carry their nation’s flag at the 2026 FIRST Championship, one of the world’s most prestigious youth robotics competitions, hosted in Houston, Texas’s George R. Brown Convention Center.
The team, nicknamed the MCHS Bobcats, earned their invitation to the global stage after securing first place at the 2026 Belize National FIRST LEGO League (FLL) competition held this past March. Co-hosted by Belize Elementary School and Belize High School, the national championship drew 10 competing teams from every region of the country. Following the competition’s 2026 theme “Unearthed”, participating students were tasked with developing creative, technology-powered solutions drawing inspiration from the field of archaeology – a challenge that pushed the young innovators to blend historical thinking with cutting-edge technical skill. The MCHS Bobcats outperformed their fellow national competitors to claim the national title and a coveted spot at the global event.
Organized by the international non-profit organization FIRST, the annual championship runs from April 29 to May 2, bringing together thousands of top youth STEM talent from across the world. The event is designed to showcase young people’s proficiencies in engineering, coding, and critical problem-solving, all within a collaborative, high-energy environment that encourages cross-cultural exchange and innovation. This year’s competition will see the Belizean team go head-to-head with the best young robotics teams from dozens of countries, giving the small Central American nation a rare opportunity to demonstrate its growing STEM capacity on a global platform.
Sponsored by RF&G, the MCHS Bobcats delegation consists of students Maidie Oliva, Giselie Garcia, Carlos Blanco, Jaevanie De Paz, Aiden Logan, Anais Cruz, Mannat Lalwani, Morgan Chavarria, Zyanie Urbina, and Krystian Krystian, with four faculty coaches Carim Ramirez, Michael Williams, Cecilio Garcia, and William Robinson leading the team in preparation and competition.