Southampton High robotics team wins regional title, seeks $20,000 to go to world championships

The Southampton High School robotics team captured first place at a regional competition at Hofstra University and earned an invitation to the world championships in Houston, the broadcast reported. The team, in only its third year as a formal program, now faces travel costs and is seeking about $20,000 in additional funds.

Students described the win as intense and surreal. One team member said, "It was surreal winning. It was very stressful as well. It's really intense, and there's a lot of pressure." Another student said the program builds friendships across interests: "I think it brings, like, people together...you just meet different types of people here, and it's really cool." The program identified the team as Team 9646.

The host said the Southampton Education Foundation donated several thousand dollars to kick off fundraising; the team is continuing to raise approximately $20,000 via GoFundMe and pitches to potential sponsors in the business community to cover travel and competition costs in Houston next week.

The broadcast did not report a breakdown of expenses or exact donation totals beyond the foundation's initial contribution.