Arapahoe High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team # 11220, “The Royal Guard,” has completed an extraordinary rookie season driven almost entirely by students. With 95 percent of the team made up of freshmen, students quickly stepped into roles across engineering, programming, strategy, and outreach, learning in real time as they designed, built, and competed at a high level.
A core group of nine students with industry mentors led the effort, taking on overlapping responsibilities in a highly collaborative structure. Students frequently contributed beyond their roles, building skills across disciplines while supporting one another to keep the robot competition-ready. “If it wasn’t for everyone pitching in after our gears broke, we would not have been able to play," said Liam Traylor (roles: mechanical; marketing; drive team).
Student ownership was especially visible at competitions. By the Denver University Regional, students were leading robot operation, match strategy, and real-time decision-making. As team captain Willamina Carmain (roles: drive team; mechanical; fundraising) shared, “I learned you really need to take charge when you have to make a decision. Try to decide as a group but when it is just you representing your team, make the decision and stand by it.” Mentors stepped back as students executed strategy end-to-end, demonstrating confidence and teamwork beyond a typical rookie team. Mentor Brittany Jenkins (FIRST alum and Lockheed Martin engineer) noted, “It was an honor to work with these students and watch them grow so much in such a short time. I am very excited for the next three years of their high school careers!”
What makes FIRST Robotics unique extends beyond competition. The program emphasizes Gracious Professionalism and "Coopertition"—a culture where teams support and learn from one another while competing. As Jacob Baron (roles: programming; electrical; drive team; CAD; fundraising) shared, “Other teams are incredibly friendly and eager to help.” Students worked with teams from Cherry Creek’s FRC #4550 “Something’s Bruin” to alliance partners in Taiwan (FRC #9501 “Sidereal Envoy”). Maddie Lehman (roles: programming; electrical; mechanical; CAD; fundraising) added, “It was life changing to be able to experience so many other teams’ kindness, and I can’t wait until we have the ability to pay it forward.”
Parents also saw the impact firsthand. As Gioia Cerasoli’s parent, Nicki Cerasoli, reflected, “That probably made several core memories for Gioia in two days and it was a fantastic education for me as a non-robotics parent.”
The results matched the effort. Team 11220 earned “Rookie All-Star Award,” the highest award for a rookie team, ranked among the top 10 percent of rookie teams worldwide, and excelled at both regional competitions. At Pikes Peak, they competed in Alliance 8 with teams from Taiwan, Mexico, and Idaho. At Denver, they placed 8th out of 55 teams and served as Alliance Captain for Alliance 5—an exceptional achievement for a first-year team.
Through this experience, students developed technical skills, learned to problem-solve under pressure, and built leadership through real responsibility. FIRST is cultivating not only future engineers, but the next generation of leaders prepared to collaborate and innovate in complex environments. Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper noted during his visit to the Denver Regional Competition, “What you’re building here isn’t just robots—it’s the future workforce of Colorado. These students are developing the skills that will drive our state’s innovation economy for decades.”
Looking ahead to the 2026–2027 season, the team is aiming for the FIRST World Championship—building on a strong foundation and continued student leadership.
FRC Team 11220 is open to all Littleton Public Schools high school students. Students can explore roles in engineering, coding, marketing, social media, business, and project management—no experience needed. Meetings start fall 2026. Interested students: Contact Mr. Babcock (AHS CTE teacher) at nbabcock@lps.k12.co.us.
Parent and Sponsorship inquiries can be sent to frc11220info@gmail.com.
About the 2025–2026 FRC 11220 team:
Willamina Carmain (Arapahoe High School) – Team Captain; Drive Team; Mechanical; Fundraising
Jacob Baron (Arapahoe High School) – Programming; Electrical; Drive Team; CAD; Fundraising
Gioia Cerasoli (Arapahoe High School) – Electrical; Drive Team; Marketing
Maddie Lehman (Heritage High School) – Programming; Electrical; Mechanical; CAD; Fundraising
Liam Traylor (Arapahoe High School) – Mechanical; Marketing; Drive Team
Ike Gerak (Arapahoe High School) – Mechanical
Evan Boyce (Arapahoe High School) – Mechanical; Drive Team
Caleb Goldman (Arapahoe High School) – Programming
Olivia Cogburn-Gonzales (Arapahoe High School) – CAD; Mechanical
About the 2025–2026 FRC 11220 team's support:
Supporting this student-led environment, providing guidance, and encouraging students to take full ownership were:
Mr. Babcock (LPS Faculty Sponsor; Arapahoe High School CTE teacher) and industry mentors
Andy Carmain (Industry Mentor; Lockheed Martin)
Don Baker (15-year FIRST mentor for Chatfield and Littleton High Schools)
Brittany Cape Jenkins (Lockheed Martin, FIRST alum
Sponsors include:
NASA
Colorado FIRST
Lockheed Martin
Argosy Foundation (with Everybot and Robonauts)
Denver Armor
Don Stamberger
The Don Baker Family
Caterpillar
PlastiCare
King Soopers
Anonymous
