Rebel Robotics, the student robotics team at Great Neck South High School, was honored at the Optimum Technology Innovation Summit at the company's Bethpage headquarters, where it received the Outstanding Community Partner Award and a $1,000 corporate sponsorship toward its 2027 competition season. The Great Neck Public Schools announced the recognition on October 16.

What happened in Bethpage

The summit, held October 7, brought students together with leaders from Optimum and other technology companies for a regional showcase. Members of Team 2638 brought their competition robot, walked attendees through how it was designed and built, and talked about their experience in the FIRST robotics program.

Optimum presented the team with its Outstanding Community Partner Award, which recognizes commitment to collaboration and community connections. The company also committed $1,000 to offset the team's costs for the 2027 FIRST competition season, continuing a sponsorship relationship that has run for several years and has helped send the team to regional and national events.

What Rebel Robotics is

Rebel Robotics competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition as Team 2638, representing Great Neck South High School. FIRST, short for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, runs the international program in which teams get a new game challenge each January and a tight window to design, build and program a robot to play it. Schools then face each other at regional events in the spring, with a path to the FIRST championship for teams that advance.

The format makes a high school team function like a small engineering firm: students handle mechanical design, programming, electronics, fundraising and outreach, with adult mentors guiding rather than building. The Bethpage summit put that student work in front of working engineers and executives, which is the kind of exposure the district pointed to in announcing the award.

Fielding a competition robot carries real costs in registration, parts, tools and travel, which is why corporate sponsors and community partners matter to a public school team. The team's sponsor roster also includes the Gold Coast and Lake Success Rotary and J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, alongside a list of local businesses it credits on its website.

Team mentor John Motchkavitz said in the district's announcement that the Optimum partnership gives students venues like the summit to present their work and connect with technology leaders on Long Island and beyond. Fellow mentor Matthew Corrigan credited the company's financial backing with letting the team build and compete at a higher level each year.

What comes next

The sponsorship points at the 2027 FIRST season, which begins with the January game reveal and runs through spring regional competition. Residents who want to follow the team, support it or learn about joining can find it at gnsrobotics.com, and the district posts team news on the Great Neck Public Schools site.

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