On 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 Vessey’s memory. 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, =Vessey passed away at the age of 58.
“There is no better way to memorialize Ken than to rename this tournament after him,” said FIRST Long Island Regional Director Larry Toonkel. “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.
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.
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.
For more information on FIRST Long Island or the HHH Invitational, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.firstlongisland.org.