Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Tafuna High School Army JROTC program made history by hosting American Samoa’s first-ever Aerial Drone Competition, bringing together cadet drone teams from Manu’a, Faga’itua, Samoana, Tafuna, and Leone High Schools. The inaugural event was held at the Mafutaga Tina CCCAS Hall in Kanana Fou under the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF) Aerial Drone Competition program.

Ten teams, two from each high school, with five cadets per team, took on this season’s game, Time Warp. The game features four missions that challenge different aspects of drone STEM skills: Teamwork Mission (alliance match play), Piloting Skills Mission (individual piloting), Autonomous Flight Mission (coding and sensor-based flight), and Communications Mission (logbook and interview).

TAFUNA’S TOA DRONES CROWNED ALL AROUND CHAMPION

Tafuna High School’s Team 96799A – TOA DRONES – Army JROTC earned the tournament’s top honor as All Around Champion. This award recognizes a team that demonstrates excellence both in judged categories and on-field performance, including strong communications, professionalism, and sportsmanship. Toa Drones is made up of the following members:

Team Captain and Programmer- Loraine Steckert

Co-Captain and Teamwork Mission Pilot- Everett Painter

Co-Pilot for Teamwork Mission- Atonio Miller

Pilot for Piloting Skills Mission- Taylor Lemo

Visual Observer for Skills and Teamwork Mission- Schoemacher Puletasi

As All-Around Champion, Team 96799A has qualified for the All-Services Aerial Drone Championship in Fort Benning, Georgia, where they will compete against JROTC teams from across the United States and from all service branches, Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. This will be the team’s second appearance at the All-Services Championship. At last year’s event in Batesville, Mississippi, 96799A brought home the Coding Award from a field of more than 100 JROTC teams.

OTHER MISSION AWARDS AND SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Tafuna’s two TOA Drone teams and Samoana’s cadets led the way in the mission-based and judged awards:

•        Teamwork Mission Champion – Alliance of

 96799A – TOA DRONES

 96799B – TOA DRONES II

 Both from Tafuna High School Army JROTC in Pago Pago. The Teamwork Mission Champion title is awarded to the two-team alliance that finishes first after the finals matches.

•        Skills Missions Champion –

 96799B – TOA DRONES II – Tafuna High School. This award goes to the team with the highest combined score in Piloting Skills and Autonomous Flight Missions, highlighting both a steady pilot and strong coding.

•        Communications Mission Champion –

 1946B – Samoana High School. This award honors a team whose logbook and team interview demonstrate clear, organized, and professional communication, along with positive conduct and sportsmanship.

•        Judges Award –

 96799B – TOA DRONES II – Army JROTC, Tafuna High School. The Judges Award is presented to a team that stands out for its perseverance, effort, and accomplishments throughout the season and at the event.

CLOSE BATTLES ON THE FIELD

All five high schools brought their “A game” to the Time Warp field, resulting in exciting alliance selections and close scores throughout the playoffs.

Teams advancing to the semi-finals were:

•       Tafuna High School: 96799A and 96799B, who chose each other as alliance partners.
•        Leone High School: 2811A, who allied with Manu’a’s 63729Z – Matasaua Drones.
•        Samoana High School: 1946A and 1946B, who formed a Samoana alliance.
•        Faga’itua High School: 1684V, who partnered with Manu’a’s second team 63729C.

In the end, two alliances reached the finals: Tafuna’s alliance of 96799A and 96799B, and the alliance between 2811A (Leone) and 63729Z (Manu’a). The championship match came down to just two points, with Tafuna taking the Tournament Championship 190–188, a finish that kept cadets, instructors, and spectators on the edge of their seats.

MONTHS OF PREPARATION AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Tafuna High School JROTC spent months preparing to host this first island-wide Aerial Drone Competition. The staff coordinated with community volunteers who contributed an estimated 15 hours each, six hours of online training to serve as head referee and judge advisors, 7.5 hours during the competition itself, plus additional time in meetings, scrimmages, and a pre-event drone workshop.

Leading up to the tournament, Tafuna hosted a scrimmage and a Drone Workshop to help all participating teams across the island become more familiar with the Time Warp game, safety procedures, and tournament expectations. These efforts helped ensure that every team arrived ready to compete at a high level and that the event was both competitive and educational.

SPONSORS AND VOLUNTEERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE

The success of this inaugural competition depended on strong community partnerships and sponsorship.

•        ASTCA – Special thanks to CEO Folasaitu Thomas and her team for providing high-speed, robust internet connectivity for the event. Their support made it possible to run the RECF Tournament Manager system and transmit real-time results to the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation throughout the day.
•        McDonald’s and ASTCA – Both organizations helped present awards and have been long-time supporters of Tafuna JROTC’s off-island STEM and robotics competitions.
•        OceaniaCDN – Provided tablets used by scorekeeper referees and the event tech coordinator, helping the tournament run smoothly and efficiently.

The organizers also extend heartfelt thanks to the volunteers whose “heart of service” for the youth of American Samoa made the competition possible:

Dr. Reupena Lesa, Isalei Liaiga, Ladenia Lavata’i, Claire Baucus, Maricel Balbuena, Patricia Su’esu’e, Fiafia Sunia, Fa’amasino Galoia, Jody Osterbrink, Jordanna Maga, Agnes Tipi, and Judy Tuna.

These community members served as referees, scorekeepers, judges, and event tech coordinators, giving cadets a professional, well-run first experience in aerial drone competition.

To recognize this service, the Director of Army Instruction, COL John Tulifua, presented each volunteer with an American Samoa Multiple School Unit coin in appreciation for their time and support of this landmark event.

SCHOOL AND JROTC LEADERSHIP

The competition also highlighted the vision and support of educational leaders who continue to push STEM opportunities forward in the territory.

•        Principal Tutuila Togilau of Tafuna High School was recognized for her ongoing support of all JROTC initiatives, not only for THS cadets but also for providing a platform that serves every JROTC program in American Samoa.
•        Tafuna’s JROTC instructor team, MAJ Siimoa Galoia, MSG Acania Puletasi, and SFC Lei Solaita, were thanked for pioneering and expanding STEM pathways, from VEX robotics to aerial drones, and for working tirelessly to secure competition opportunities off-island for cadets.

This first Aerial Drone Competition marks an important step for American Samoa’s youth as they explore STEM, aviation, and technology careers through hands-on learning and friendly competition. With strong community support and dedicated cadet leaders, the future of drone STEM education in the territory is off to a powerful start.