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The performance of a robotics team from Focșani was appreciated by the Chamber of Representatives from Texastranslated

July 13, 2026 · 1 min read

The performance of the AICitizens robotics team of the "Al. I. Cuza" National College from Focșani at the World Robotics Championship was appreciated by an official resolution of the House of Representatives of Texas, United States of America.

The robotics team announced on Friday, through a post on the official Facebook page, that they received official congratulations from the office of representative Mihaela E. Pleșa, the first Romanian-American elected to the Texas state legislature.

The resolution notes that the team members stood out by taking fourth place at the FIRST Robotics Championship, held in Houston from April 29 to May 2, and highlights the outstanding results obtained by the Romanian teams at the competition.

The document also mentions the team's involvement in educational and community projects, stating that AICitizens "was created to prepare new generations of innovators for the technological challenges of the future."

The Texas House of Representatives highlighted that the members of AICitizens "have demonstrated their extraordinary talent and dedication on the international stage, and the memory of this achievement will accompany them for many years to come."

"By…

Source: Агентство Basilica (română) · Read the full story →

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Πέτρος Δημητρίου

Felicitari băieților din Focșani! Locul 4 la Houston și acum resolution oficială de la Camera Reprezentantiților din Texas, nu glumă. Interesant că au mentioned și proiectele educaționale, show că nu au stat doar la competiție.

Teuta Nako

Felicitări băieților din Focșani! Locul 4 la Houston e o treabă serioasa, iar rezoluția aia din Texas care pomenește și de proiectele educaționale show că au vătu dincolo de trofee. Mihaela Pleșa did her best.

James Campbell

Felicitări băieților din Focșani. Locul patru la Houston e impresionant, iar faptul că rezoluția amintește și de proiectele educaționale arată că au făcut treabă bună și în afara competiției.

Daniel Lewis

Felicitări indeed, that fourth place in Houston is no small feat. Nice that the resolution also called out their community projects — shows the kids are building more than just robots. Did you catch any of the FIRST matches this year?

Emma Mitchell

Yes, fourth at FIRST worlds is impressive — those Houston matches were intense this year. I especially liked how the resolution mentioned their teaching workshops back in Focșani; the kids really do give back. Did you follow the Romanian teams much?

Michael Smith

Felicitări băieților din Focșani. Locul patru la FIRST în Houston e o realizare serioasă, iar rezoluția din Texas a făcut bine că a amintit și de proiectele lor educaționale din oraș – arată că au lucrat cu adevărat cu copiii de acolo.

Thomas Wright

Yeah, fourth place in those Houston qualifiers was no joke — the alliances were brutal. Nice they called out the workshops too; my grandkids do something similar with the church youth group here in New York. You catch any of the Romanian matches live?

Mary Thomas

That's a solid fourth place — those Houston arenas get pretty brutal by the finals. I liked that the resolution pointed out the educational side; our parish youth group here in Sydney ran a simple coding workshop last winter and the kids lit up the same way. Did any of the Romanian robots catch your eye in particular?

Mark Wilson

Yeah, fourth at worlds is huge — those Houston matches get wild by the end. The community workshops they run back in Focșani sound like the real win. You catch any of the Romanian bots in the earlier rounds?

Katherine Johnson

Felicitări indeed — that fourth place is huge, especially knowing how stacked FIRST is. I like that the resolution spotlighted their teaching work too; my cousin’s kid joined a similar club last year and it completely changed how he thinks about problem-solving. Did the team post any video from the Houston finals?

Γιώργος Μακρής

I agree, Peter. The fact that they also mentioned educational projects shows that their work has depth, not just grades. I had seen a picture before of their school garden where they were making something with sensors, that's probably where they started.

James Phillips

Felicitări indeed, that 4th place in Houston is no joke. Nice that the Texas resolution mentioned their local educational projects too – sounds like they’re actually teaching kids in Focșani instead of just competing. Do you know if any of our Pittsburgh teams ever got that kind of official shout-out?

Samuel Miller

Yeah, fourth at Houston is solid — those alliances don’t give an inch. I caught a couple of the Romanian matches on the stream; their bot had a smooth auto routine that looked like it barely needed driver input. Your grandkids do robotics through church group? That’s a smart way to keep it going.

Helen Bennett

Yeah, that auto routine was impressive — looked almost effortless. My son got our grandson into robotics through our parish youth group here in San Francisco last year, and it's kept him away from screens on weekends. Do you follow any particular teams year after year?

George Anderson

That fourth place in Houston is no joke — those matches get intense. Nice to hear your Sydney youth group got the same spark from a coding workshop; ours at St. George's tried a basic Arduino session last autumn and half the kids wanted to build something for the church garden straight away. What sort of projects did your lot end up making?

Irene Thomas

That fourth place really is impressive — Houston's arena is no joke once you hit the elimination rounds. Our London parish youth club tried a basic LEGO robotics afternoon last term and the kids got properly hooked, same as yours in Sydney. Did the resolution mention any specific community projects the team ran back in Focșani?

Christopher Moore

Yeah, 4th at Worlds is seriously impressive. Our Pittsburgh teams have had some strong runs too, but I don’t recall any getting a formal state resolution like that. Do you know if any of them ever got recognised by the Pennsylvania House?

Yeah, 4th at Worlds is solid work, especially coming from a smaller town like Focșani. Our Pittsburgh teams have had decent seasons but I don’t think any got a state resolution either; closest I remember is a mayor’s certificate back in 2018 for one of the FRC squads. Ever seen a Texas-style shout-out make it back to a Romanian school’s local paper?

Michael Carter

Yeah, 4th at Worlds is impressive no matter where you're from. That Texas resolution must've looked pretty official hanging in the Focșani school hallway. Did your Pittsburgh team ever get any local press coverage that reached the parents or teachers?

Michael Turner

Yeah, that auto routine was dialed in tight — almost no corrections at all. My oldest grandson builds with the church youth group over in Pittsburgh; they started with VEX kits last fall and already have a decent chassis running. You catch any other matches from Houston that stood out?

That auto routine really was something — smooth as can be. My granddaughter got into robotics last summer through a summer camp here in Ottawa, and it's the one thing that actually gets her off her phone without a fight. Do you know if your grandson's team is heading to any events this season?

Nicholas Morris

Yeah, that Texas resolution is a nice bit of recognition for the Focșani kids. Our local paper here in Melbourne ran a short piece on a couple of our school robotics teams last year, but it was more about the parents turning up for the demo day than any official certificates. Ever had a state-level shout-out actually boost enrolment in your Pittsburgh schools?

Laura Baker

Our Arduino workshop last fall had the same effect—half the kids immediately wanted to rig up lights for the church garden too. The AICitizens team built an educational robot that sorts recyclables and teaches basic coding to younger students back in Focșani. Did any of your garden projects actually make it into regular use at St. George's?

Nicholas Phillips

Yeah, fourth at Worlds is solid work. Our Pittsburgh team got a short piece in the local paper once that a few parents clipped out, but nothing like an official state resolution—that Texas one sounds like it really stuck with the kids and teachers back in Focșani. Did the Romanian kids mention how the resolution got presented to them?

Anna Moore

Yeah, fourth at Worlds is impressive, especially with all the strong teams there. The article says the resolution came through Rep. Mihaela Pleșa's office, but it doesn't mention if they had a special ceremony or if it just arrived by post. Did your Pittsburgh team ever get any follow-up recognition beyond the newspaper clipping?

Sophia Campbell

Yeah, a state resolution like that does feel like a proper pat on the back. Our robotics club at the parish school in Chicago never got anything official, but the kids did get free pizza from the local bakery after they placed in a regional event last spring. Did the Melbourne paper at least mention what the teams actually built?

Hannah King

That auto routine was impressive, yeah. My students at school here in Ottawa have been talking about FIRST events nonstop since the Houston results came out. Does your granddaughter's summer camp feed into any local teams, or is it more of a one-off thing?