Programs
High School Robotics (FIRST Robotics Competition)
The Science and Technology Group (STG) supports a high school robotics team mainly composed of students from Mountain Home High School. The team also welcomes high school students from other schools in the greater Mountain Home area, including home-schooled students, ranging from 9th to 12th grade. Established in 1996, the team was named the Baxter Bomb Squad in honor of their sponsoring industry partner, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, and the high school’s mascot, The Bombers.
Over the years, Bomb Squad has received numerous awards and honors for its consistent excellence in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). Among its notable accomplishments are the prestigious Chairman’s Award (now known as the FIRST Impact Award) in 2000 and its participation in the 2012 World Championship-winning alliance. The team has also appeared three times on the Einstein field (in 2008, 2012, and 2025), competing against the top teams worldwide.
Bomb Squad’s commitment to mentorship has also been recognized, with three mentors earning Regional Woodie Flowers Awards, including one who received the World Championship Woodie Flowers Award in 2009. Many team members have been celebrated for their leadership, innovation, and dedication in all areas of team involvement.
Each season, Bomb Squad designs, builds, and programs a brand-new robot to compete in the annual FIRST Robotics Competition challenge, a fast-paced engineering game that changes every year. Past games have featured creative objectives involving elements like balls, rings, cubes, totes, and discs. The robots compete on a field roughly the size of a basketball court and typically measure around 30” x 30” x 54”. Weighing up to 135 pounds, modern Bomb Squad robots are capable of precise autonomous routines, advanced vision processing, and speeds exceeding 20 feet per second.
Junior High Robotics (FIRST Tech Challenge)
STG also supports a robotics team at Mountain Home Junior High School. Named the Junior Bomb Squad, this team was founded in 2006 to address a perceived need by STG to target students in 8th and 9th grades who had participated in younger age robotics programs but were not old enough to participate on the high school team.
Vantive and Baxter Healthcare are the primary sponsors of this team, which has been mentored since its inception by Andy Marts, a retired engineer from Baxter Healthcare. The team has won its way to world championships multiple times and was part of the 2009 World Championship-winning alliance, as well as a 2013 South Super Regional-winning alliance team, serving as team captain.
For many years, STG produced the Arkansas State Championship for the robotics program in Mountain Home, which drew 20 to 30 teams from Arkansas and surrounding states to advance to a super-regional and/or world championship. Arkansas FIRST Program Partner now manages the program, which consists of a state championship and qualifiers, one of which STG and Bomb Squad host in Mountain Home.
Elementary-Level Robotics (FIRST Lego League)
Elementary-level robotics in Mountain Home began in 1999 with the introduction of the LEGO Mindstorms Robotic Invention Kit, offering students a hands-on way to explore engineering, programming, and teamwork. Baxter Healthcare initially supported the program, organizing the state championship tournament and providing financial assistance to help local teams grow. When STG (Science and Technology Group) was founded in 2001, it assumed leadership of the program, continuing and expanding Baxter’s legacy of promoting STEM education in the community.
Today, STG proudly supports two active FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams—one based at Hackler Intermediate School for 3rd through 5th graders (Lil Bomb Squad), and another at Pinkston Middle School for 6th and 7th graders (Pinkston Robotics).
Over the years, both teams have achieved notable success, earning top honors at regional competitions and advancing to prestigious events in California, Arkansas, and even Australia. Beyond competition, these programs inspire young students to pursue STEM careers, develop problem-solving skills, and learn the value of innovation and collaboration.