Green Valley School · Established 1952

The Green Valley Observer

"All the news a student could use."
Vol. I · No. 1 Independent Since 2026 Friday, April 25, 2026 · 20°C
Top Story · News

After fourteen years, the drought ends.

The Iron Eagles entered as the seventh seed, rewrote half their code in the pit, and left Riverside with the state championship trophy.

Written by Jordan Alvarez
Reading time 6 minutes
Published April 16, 2026
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Senior captain Maya Chen lifts the state trophy after the Iron Eagles' come-from-behind win in Riverside on Saturday. — Photo by Sam Patel

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Years since Lincoln High last claimed a state robotics title.
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Final point total — sixteen more than Central Prep in the championship match.
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Seed the team entered the tournament with before upsetting three higher-ranked squads.
News

A last-minute code patch.

What looked like elimination in the semifinals became a championship run, engineered inside the pit between rounds.

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Robotics team clinches state title after fourteen-year drought.

A seventh-seed run, three upsets, and a last-second autonomous routine that held its line down to the final pixel.

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By Jordan Alvarez · Staff Reporter
Published April 16, 2026 · Updated April 18

It took fourteen years, three missed semifinals, and one last-second software patch, but the Lincoln High Iron Eagles are finally bringing home the state championship trophy. The robotics team defeated Central Prep 214–198 in a match decided in the final seven seconds of autonomous play.

"We rewrote half the targeting code in the pit between rounds," said team captain Maya Chen, a senior. "I thought we were done. Then our drive coach told us to breathe, and we went out and ran the cleanest match of the season."

The Iron Eagles entered the tournament as the seventh seed and pulled upsets over three higher-ranked teams en route to the final. Coach Delia Morrison, in her ninth year leading the program, called the run "the most unlikely thing I've ever watched on a competition floor."

This Week

Campus highlights.

Campus · Dining

Cafeteria adds vegan Taco Tuesday after 412-signature petition.

Food Services will debut a fully vegan taco bar every Tuesday starting next month, including jackfruit carnitas, lentil chorizo, and cashew crema. Director Alan Whitlock said the department was "moved by the scale of the response" and is considering additional plant-based options at the register.

By Priya Rao · 4 min read · April 15, 2026
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I thought we were done. Then our drive coach told us to breathe, and we went out and ran the cleanest match of the season.

— Maya Chen, Robotics Captain
Opinion

Voices from the masthead.

Editorial Board

Later start times are overdue.

The research has been clear for over a decade. It's time the district stopped treating an 8:30 start as controversial and started treating it as obvious.

The Editorial Board · April 18
Column

RomanoBring back the senior picnic.

Every class before ours had one. The tradition didn't end because students stopped enjoying it. It ended because nobody rebooked the park.

Isabel Romano '26 · April 17
Column

ParkWhy I stopped reading the comments.

For most of sophomore year I read every comment on every post. Quitting the scroll gave me back my weekends — and, somehow, my sense of humor.

Theo Park · April 16
Sports

Three records. One afternoon.

Saturday's invitational at Jefferson Park will go down as one of the most decorated afternoons in Lincoln track history.

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Track breaks three school records in one meet.

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By Devon Walsh · Sports Editor
April 19, 2026

Three school records fell in the span of two hours, and the team finished second overall among twenty-two schools. Junior Aisha Okonkwo broke the 100-meter mark that had stood since 1998, clocking an 11.62. Minutes later, the 4x400 relay shaved nearly two seconds off the previous record, and senior Marcus Liu cleared 6'4" in the high jump.

Coach Reeves said the squad has been building toward the moment since January. "These kids earned every tenth of a second," he said. "They come in at six in the morning. They do the work, and today you saw the work." The team hosts Westfield next Saturday for a dual meet that could clinch the conference title.

Today's Weather

20°C

Sunny. Light breeze from the northwest. High of 20, low of 14. Chance of rain: 0%.

This Week

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