Ctrl+Alt+ELITE Is Going to Houston—And We’re Taking Southern California’s Spirit With Us
This season, Team Ctrl+Alt+ELITE—a FIRST LEGO League robotics team from Kraemer Middle School and Golden Elementary School—earned the highest honor possible: Grand Champions, out of 550 teams statewide at the California Southern Region Championships.
Earlier in the season, the team also captured First Place in the Robot Game (November Qualifier) and Grand Champions at December Regionals—demonstrating consistent excellence in engineering design, coding, research, innovation, and teamwork.
Because of these extraordinary achievements, the team has been invited to represent FIRST LEGO League on the world stage at the FIRST LEGO LEAGUE World Festival in Houston—an international, invitation-only event bringing together championship teams from around the globe.
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The Trophy Marked the Win. What Followed Touched Our Hearts Forever.
When Team Ctrl+Alt+ELITE was crowned Grand Champions—after outperforming 550 teams—something unexpected happened.
As our students stood there, still trying to process what they had just accomplished, the team they faced in the final didn’t turn away. Instead, teams we had just competed against lined up to congratulate them.
Coaches from rival schools asked how they could help. Parents who had driven hours to support their own children shared words of admiration—some with tears in their eyes—and began asking:
“What do you need to get to Houston?”
In minutes, competition faded.
Community emerged. ❤️
That was the moment it hit us:
This isn’t just our journey anymore!
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We’re Not Just Representing Our School or our Team—We’re Representing Southern California to the World !
We’re carrying Southern California’s belief that:
- Innovation doesn’t have an accent
- Leadership emerges when we create space for it
- Success is something you lift others into
In a world that often teaches kids to win at all costs, FIRST LEGO League teaches something revolutionary: coopertition—where cooperation and competition coexist. Where you can build the best robot and help your competitors fix theirs. Where the team that beats you today might be the team cheering loudest for you tomorrow.
That’s not just FIRST LEGO League’s philosophy: That’s the SoCal spirit.
This is who we are: diverse communities working together, immigrant families lifting one another up, neighbors celebrating each other’s kids like they’re their own. We don’t just compete—we collaborate. We don’t just win—we bring others along.
And that’s exactly what we’re taking to Houston. ✈️
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Meet the Team That’s Making Us Proud
Eight Kids. One Robot. Infinite Ripples.
- Samihan (8th) – The steady leader under pressure, keeping the team focused when it matters most.
- Avaneesh (8th) – The coding specialist who speaks the language that brings the robot to life.
- Ian (8th) – The mechanical problem-solver who sees exactly what’s broken—and how to fix it.
- Zane (7th) – The relentless “what if?” thinker who turns obstacles into breakthroughs.
- Max (7th) – The creative strategist who finds solutions others overlook.
- Raaghav (7th) – The research guru who grounds every decision in data, evidence, and analysis—ensuring precision with purpose.
- Derek (7th) – The heart of the team—always encouraging others, even while his own solution is still taking shape. ❤️
- Austin (5th) – The quiet force who found his voice through robotics and proves age is no barrier to talent and heart. ⭐
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The World Festival Isn’t Just a Competition—It’s a Statement
Ctrl+Alt+ELITE beat 550 teams by building robots together.
We’re sending them to Houston by building community together.
From April 28–May 2, 2026, when they compete alongside the best FLL, FTC, and FRC teams from 66 countries teams including Japan, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, and Australia, the world will see what we already know: Excellence looks like us!
This isn’t just about getting eight kids to Houston.
It’s about what happens when a community decides that when its kids earn something extraordinary, we show up for them.
In Southern California:
- We don’t just celebrate diversity—we invest in it
- We don’t just talk about STEM—we fund it
- We don’t just admire hard work—we reward it
- We don’t let money stand between kids and opportunity
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The Robot Runs on Code. The Dream Runs on Community.
Ctrl+Alt+ELITE is part of the REACH Foundation and all contributions are 100% tax-deductible. Your support directly helps cover:
- World Festival registration fees
- Travel and lodging
- Robot design & innovation presentation materials
- STEM outreach for younger students
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This Is More Than Robotics
This is about showing eight kids—and every kid watching—that when you work hard, dream big, and represent your community with excellence, Southern California has your back!
Thank you for being part of their journey!!
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With warmest regards,
Ctrl+Alt+ELITE Robotics Team
Coaches:
Madhura Shaligram & Mary Ahn
Fundraising POC:
Harsha Deoghare
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R.E.A.C.H. Foundation
21520 Yorba Linda Blvd., Suite G503
Yorba Linda, CA 92870
501(c)(3) Tax ID #45-2399389
- (Please note “Ctrl+Alt+ELITE Robotics” in memo line)
Organizer
T
The REACH Foundation
Beneficiary