TOAST Robotics takes No. 2 in the AeroCoast League and lands in the top 5% of FIRST Tech Challenge teams tracked worldwide by FTCScout.
SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. – November 6, 2026 – With a robot they designed, built and programmed themselves, Seacoast Collegiate High School students won all five of their qualification matches at the FIRST Tech Challenge AeroCoast League opener on Oct. 24 in Panama City. The undefeated start put TOAST Robotics at No. 2 in the 32-team league, which stretches from Pensacola to Tallahassee.
Founded in 2025, the student-led Technology Operations Advanced Solutions Team competes as TOAST, Team 30780. In its first meet of its second season, TOAST posted a high match score of 110 points. Following the opener, independent statistics site FTCScout ranked TOAST No. 57 out of 1,240 teams it tracked worldwide. Seven AeroCoast League teams appeared in its top 100.
FIRST Tech Challenge is an international robotics program run by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a nonprofit that helps young people develop an interest in science, technology, engineering and math through hands-on competition. In this season’s game, BIOBUZZ, robots collect and launch game pieces into a hive that can tip during play. For the first 30 seconds of each match, the robot runs on the code students wrote. Then students take the controls for two minutes.
“Our students have put in hours of practice time, before, after school, and on weekends to be prepared for Meet #1,” said Chad Thurman, a Seacoast Collegiate High School teacher and TOAST coach. “It was very rewarding to me as a coach, moreover an educator, to see these students excited at their success; realizing now the value of hard work and dedication.”
“Whenever seeing that the TOAST team was in second place at the end of the day, it brought immense joy not only to me but the entirety of the team,” said Dylan Cunard, a Seacoast Collegiate High School junior and TOAST captain. “Sure, it was a little sad being bumped from first place down to second, but the fact that we were able to even be in the top ten was genuinely amazing. The work that all of our team put in was greatly demonstrated throughout Meet #1. I am very proud of the team we have, as well as very thankful for the coaches who made this all possible.”
The season opener comes as SEASIDE SCHOOL™ celebrates its No. 1 statewide ranking among Florida public charter schools serving grades 5–12. Florida’s oldest continuously operating public charter school has earned the state’s highest school grade for 25 consecutive years. It serves grades 5–8 at Seaside Neighborhood School and grades 9–12 at Seacoast Collegiate High School, where programs like TOAST give students the chance to apply what they learn in math, science and computer programming to a project they lead. As students test their designs, troubleshoot problems and decide what to improve for the next meet, they build confidence in their own judgment and gain firsthand experience with the kind of work engineers do.
TOAST will put its next design to the test Nov. 7 at AeroCoast League Meet 2 in Tallahassee, where the team will debut Mk2, the second version of its competition robot. The league returns to Panama City for Meet 3 on Jan. 9, followed by the AeroCoast League Tournament in late January in Fort Walton Beach, where teams will compete for advancement toward the Florida championship.
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About THE SEASIDE SCHOOL™
Founded in 1996, THE SEASIDE SCHOOL™ is one of Florida’s oldest and most successful public charter schools, serving students in grades 5-12 through SEASIDE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL™ and Seacoast Collegiate High School with a mission to prepare students for success in college, careers, and beyond through a responsive, challenging, and equitable education model tailored to meet the unique needs of adolescents and young adults. Recognized as a top-performing school in Florida, THE SEASIDE SCHOOL™ has been an “A” school for 21+ consecutive years, ranking in the top 1% of public schools statewide in math and science. Students at THE SEASIDE SCHOOL™ benefit from a tuition-free education valued at over $275,000, complete with up to 60 college credits, robust extracurricular opportunities, and a mission-driven focus on leadership, community service, and personal growth. For more information, visit SeasideSchools.net.
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