The Cobra Commanders 498, a competitive robotics club based out of Peoria Unified School District’s Cactus High School, were recently awarded two of the most coveted robotics competition awards.

The Cobra Commanders received the Chairman’s Award at the Arizona North Regional Competition at Northern Arizona University. The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST, a non-profit organization that provides advanced STEM education to youth. In this competition, teams of high school students are challenged to build industrial-sized robots that will play field games in alliance with other teams. The Chairman’s Award honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST, which is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. The award was created to keep the central focus of FIRST Robotics Competition on the ultimate goal of transforming the culture in ways that will inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology, as well as encourage more of today’s youth to become science and technology leaders.

Cactus teacher and head coach for The Cobra Commanders, Adam Shroyer, was awarded Arizona Teacher of the Year at the 2022 Arizona North Regional Competition. This esteemed award is given to those teachers who give up their time, talent and enthusiasm to support their students in robotics. This is not the first award Shroyer and his team of talented students have received. They have paved the way in robotics for many years, cultivating a culture of excellence in STEM-related clubs and activities. 

The Cobra Commanders 498 is a local team of high school students, based out of Cactus High School in Glendale, Arizona that builds internationally recognized competitive robots. As a team, they work together to build large, 125 lb. robots that compete in games as a part of FIRST Robotics Competition. Alongside teachers, industry mentors and sponsors, the students design, fabricate, build and program well-engineered robots in just 6 weeks.

For more information about The Cobra Commanders, visit their website at www.team498.com.