UMATILLA — Umatilla High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition team, 4125 Confidential, competed in a regional event in early April, earning a team spirit award.

The robotics team traveled to Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, for the Pacific Northwest FIRST District Championship competition, which was held April 2-5. FIRST — For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology — programs promote international youth education and competition in engineering and technology. Competing in the event were 55 teams from Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

Umatilla’s Confidential team ended its season in 50th out of the total 134 teams in the Pacific Northwest. Their energy, enthusiasm, unity and commitment to the FIRST values also earned them the team spirit award.

“Whether it was cheering on other teams, working together to solve problems, or engaging with judges and event staff, the team stood out for their positive attitude, school pride and collaborative spirit,” Umatilla School District said in a press release celebrating the team’s success.

Students enjoyed the competition.

“We had a lot of eye openers on what we can work on next year,” said Gael Valenzuela, the team’s junior project manager. “Our robot wasn’t the best, but we still persevered and didn’t give up.”

Their dedication also appears in the form of advising other teams in the area.

“Now that the season is over, we’re focusing on mentoring our middle school (FIRST Tech Challenge) teams — helping them find improvements on their robots, learning about marketing, and even organizing little competitions for them to compete against each other,” Valenzuela said. “Next year, I’m looking forward to just the overall FRC robotics experience and spending time with the connections I’ve made in robotics at future events.”