Perham Robotics Wins First Tournament, Boosts Local STEM Opportunities
Perham High School’s Full Metal Jackets captured their first-ever tournament championship at the Northern Minnesota Robotics Conference in Brainerd, overcoming mechanical setbacks to secure victory with allied teams from North Dakota and Alexandria. The win highlights growing local investment in STEM education and youth engagement in Otter Tail County while raising questions about resources and equitable access for rural students.
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Perham High School’s robotics team, the Full Metal Jackets, opened the 2025-26 season with a milestone victory, taking first place at the Northern Minnesota Robotics Conference held in Brainerd. The championship is the first in the team’s history and was achieved through a combination of quick mechanical work, programming, and strategic scouting during the playoff rounds.
The team entered the event contending with repeated glitches in last year’s robot, but the pit crew’s on-the-fly repairs kept the machine running through qualification matches and into the playoffs. Perham was selected for a playoff alliance with 876 Thunder Robotics of Hatton/Northwood, North Dakota, and 3313 Mechatronics of Alexandria, Minnesota, and the combined alliance secured the event championship for the Brainerd tournament.
The achievement carries significance beyond the trophy case. For students in Otter Tail County, participation in competitive robotics offers hands-on experience with engineering, coding, and teamwork that complements classroom learning. Local educators and community leaders point to robotics programs as a pathway to postsecondary opportunities in STEM fields and a way to cultivate technical skills increasingly essential in the regional economy.
The victory also underscores persistent issues around access and resources. Rural teams often rely on volunteer mentors, donated parts, and community fundraising to maintain and upgrade equipment. The Full Metal Jackets’ ability to succeed despite using a robot from the previous season speaks to the team’s resilience but also raises questions about sustainable funding, equitable distribution of technology resources across schools, and how school and county-level policy decisions support extracurricular STEM learning.
Public health and community well-being are tied to these considerations. Engaging youth in structured, skill-building activities can bolster mental health, foster social connections, and reduce isolation in rural settings, contributing to broader community resilience. Ensuring equitable access to programs like robotics can therefore be seen as an investment in both workforce development and the social determinants of health for young residents.
Perham’s robotics program will host an open house on Nov. 17 to showcase the team’s work and invite community members to learn how to support and participate. The team is already looking ahead to the reveal of the new FIRST game in January, when teams across the region will begin designing and building again.
As the Full Metal Jackets celebrate the first championship in program history, the win serves as a rallying point for Otter Tail County to consider how best to nurture youth STEM opportunities equitably, sustain volunteer and funding networks, and translate local pride into long-term supports for students.
