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ACS Teams Excel at Sphero World Championship
Three teams of 7th and 8th grade students representing the Adirondack Central School District earned international recognition this spring after placing in the Top 10 at the 2026 Sphero Global Challenge World Finals, one of the premier youth STEM and robotics competitions in the world.
Adirondack entered seven teams into this year’s Sphero Global Challenge competition, with three teams ultimately advancing to the World Finals. More than 500 teams from across the globe entered the competition, with only 50 teams advancing to the championship round.
The World Finals presentations and judging sessions were held virtually during the first week of May. Teams advancing to the finals were challenged with one final mission in which students had to design solutions, complete a timed robotics event, and present their work live to a panel of engineers and judges from the Sphero company.
Leading the way were the ADK Cats, who finished 4th overall in the competition and achieved one of the most impressive accomplishments of the competition by recording the single fastest timed mission run at the World Finals. Members of the ADK Cats team included Mitchell Gray, Jayden Smith, Landon Day, Olivia Gluck, Miley Hutchins, and Ella Ernst.
The Goofy Goobers earned a remarkable 7th-place world finish. Team members included Levi Boak, Dalton DeVoe, Isaac Moore, Hannah Kosakowski, and Blake Salmon.
The 5 Footers finished 8th overall. Team members included Kylie McConnell, Zoey Croniser, Olivia Gydesen, Reegan Ritter, and Nevaeh Race.
“These students represented Adirondack incredibly well on the world stage,” said Adirondack STEAM Coordinator Nick Palczak. “Not only were their robotics and engineering skills outstanding, but I was extremely impressed with how poised and confident they were while being interviewed live by professional engineers and judges. Students were asked several difficult questions that had to be answered completely off the cuff, and they handled themselves remarkably well throughout the entire process.”
The ACS STEAM Program would like to thank Superintendent Heidi Smith, the Adirondack Central School Board of Education, principals Brandie Collins and Alicia Ross, and Director of Instruction and Technology Michael Faustino for their continued support of STEAM education and robotics opportunities for students. The success of the program also would not be possible without the support of District Network Administrator Mike Adams and Colleen Dorrity of the ACS Business Office, who assists with registrations and procurement of robotics materials throughout the year.
The success of the ACS STEAM Program is truly a collaborative effort as Adirondack continues moving FULL STEAM AHEAD!