On Sunday, October 26, the Half Hollow Hills (HHH) School District will present the 13th Annual Ken Vessey Invitational at the district’s west campus located at 375 Wolf Hill Road in Dix Hills. The matches will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m.



Formerly known as the Half Hollow Hills Invitational, the tournament has since been renamed in memory of Mr. Vessey. He volunteered as a UL Safety Advisor with FIRST Robotics, and was a mentor of a highly successful Robotics Team. He had a passion for teaching and guiding students into the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), combined with his knowledge in all safety-related fields. In 2024, Mr. Vessey passed away at the age of 58.



“There is no better way to memorialize Ken than to rename this tournament after him,” said Larry Toonkel, Regional Director, FIRST Long Island. “Ken was an invaluable member of the FIRST Long Island team. He helped so many students get involved in STEM and FIRST Robotics thanks to his leadership and mentorship. He will be greatly missed.”



As part of many robotics programs supported by FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Long Island for promoting STEM education, the Ken Vessey Invitational is designed to demonstrate the benefits of robotics programs to students, schools, communities and local businesses.



During the event, students and coaches from more than 20 Long Island school districts will participate in an exciting and engaging learning environment that enhances problem-solving skills, cooperation and teamwork. Participating teams will compete under the rules and guidelines of the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition challenge, dubbed REEFSCAPESM Presented by Haas, and showcase their robots that performed in the Long Island Regionals earlier this year. During the Invitational, two three-team alliances will bring their robots to the playing field to solve a variety of problems to score points and win rounds.



Residents, teachers, administrators and business leaders from the surrounding areas are invited to attend and discover first-hand the benefits that FIRST Robotics programs provide students. This event is also the perfect opportunity for schools and organizations interested in starting a team to meet with FIRST Long Island leaders and speak with participants to gather more information.



This postseason event commemorates the end of the 2025 FRC season on Long Island. Following the Invitational, teams will start to prepare for next season, which kicks off on January 10, 2026.


Teams scheduled to participate include Half Hollow Hills, Sachem, Bay Shore, Patchogue-Medford, Plainview-Old Bethpage, Hauppauge, Lindenhurst, Longwood, Smithtown, Southold, West Islip, Hicksville, Bethpage, The Wheatley School, Cold Spring Harbor, Westhampton, North Shore, Center Moriches, Huntington, Kings Park, Ward Melville, Long Beach and Syosset.


For more information on FIRST Long Island or the HHH Invitational, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.firstlongisland.org.


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About FIRST®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $50 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; and FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades PreK-8. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.firstinspires.org.





About FIRST Long Island

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Long Island is a fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses. His goal was to provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce, which resulted in the formation of over 100 partnerships. To that end, the organization began running FIRST® programs and now runs them all. In 1999, the inaugural FIRST Long Island robotics tournament featured just eight FIRST® Robotics Competition high school teams. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition has grown and culminated in running two events with over 80 teams competing. FIRST® Long Island also hosts its annual FIRST® LEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the FIRST® LEGO League Junior Expos, in which over 2,000 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. In 2016, the FIRST® Tech Challenge was added to its roster of programs. For more information about the programs, or to learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.firstlongisland.org.