Mid-Prairie Robotics Hosts First Ever Competition

Team eyes state qualifiers ahead after successful event

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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The Mid-Prairie Robotics team hosted their first-ever competition last month, with 18 teams participating out of the 34 in their region. The team is now looking ahead to state qualifiers in February, where they hope to advance after gaining valuable experience from hosting the recent event.

Why it matters

Robotics competitions provide important hands-on STEM learning opportunities for students, teaching skills like communication, teamwork, programming, and engineering. Mid-Prairie's ability to host their first competition shows the growth and engagement of their robotics program, which could lead to further success at the state level.

The details

The Mid-Prairie Robotics team hosted a competition at the high school on January 24th, welcoming 18 of the 34 teams in their region to participate. Robotics coach and teacher Teresa Coleman noted that the event provided valuable experience for her team, requiring them to collaborate, debate ideas, and utilize programming and engineering concepts to compete.

  • The Mid-Prairie Robotics competition was held on January 24, 2026.
  • State qualifiers will be held on February 14, 2026 at West High School in Iowa City.

The players

Teresa Coleman

Robotics coach and teacher at Mid-Prairie High School.

Archer Herteen

Freshman member of the Mid-Prairie Robotics team.

Jensen Sorrell

Freshman member of the Mid-Prairie Robotics team.

Chase Clark

Freshman member of the Mid-Prairie Robotics team.

Alex Conrad

Freshman member of the Mid-Prairie Robotics team.

Landon Hough

Freshman member of the Mid-Prairie Robotics team.

Eli Conrad

Junior member of the Mid-Prairie Robotics team.

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What they’re saying

“They have to communicate with a team, so this isn't an individualized thing. You've gotta talk to each other on the team and organize it. You have to debate, whose idea is better, so they've got to do some accommodating for people of other ideas and what not. They've got programming skills that they've got to learn, they've got engineering concepts that they have to go through, and they have just that teambuilding and 'hey, you're not going to to get it your way all the time.'”

— Teresa Coleman, Robotics coach and teacher (kciiradio.com)

What’s next

State qualifiers will be held on February 14, 2026 at West High School in Iowa City, where the Mid-Prairie Robotics team hopes to advance after gaining valuable experience from hosting their first competition.

The takeaway

Robotics competitions provide critical STEM learning opportunities for students, teaching essential skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Mid-Prairie's ability to host their first competition demonstrates the growth and engagement of their robotics program, which could lead to further success at the state level.