Falcon Robotics Team 842 from the heart of Phoenix, Arizona won the Chairman’s Award at the 2008 FIRST Championship.

The team represents what can be done to improve student’s success in the area of STEM education in an inner-city school from a large metropolitan city. Since its inception, the team has been challenging the paradigms of the day by its surprising success. Alumni from the team have been extremely successful as well. The lessons learned in FIRST last well beyond the robot competition. The team had its break out moment in 2004 when in an underwater robotics competition they bested the likes of MIT to win the national title. Once students at Carl Hayden High school showed that they can overcome difficult obstacles to be successful despite the apparently insurmountable odds, the floodgate opened. The spirit of the team was captured in the Hollywood film, Spare Parts, that depicts the story of how they beat MIT. The critically acclaimed documentary Underwater DREAMS shows the real story behind the success of the team and the lasting legacy that victory over MIT has had. The team continues to be an inspiration to many all over the world.