Where did the Spare Parts students go to school?
Oscar Vazquez, Cristian Arcega, Lorenzo Santillan and Luis Aranda attended Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Their 2004 underwater robotics team competed against university teams, including MIT. The school is the starting point of the real story; the movie is a dramatization of it.
For enrollment, school contacts and current programs, use Carl Hayden’s official Phoenix Union school website. This guide is independent of the school and its robotics teams.
Fredi Lajvardi and Allan Cameron: the real teachers
The students had two mentors: Fredi Lajvardi and Allan Cameron. ASU’s account of the team identifies both as alumni. Their work belongs alongside the students’ ingenuity when tracing how the project became possible. Read ASU’s account of the team and teachers.
Was George Lopez’s Fredi Cameron a real person?
Fredi Cameron is a composite character. In a July 2014 Arizona PBS interview, Lajvardi explained that George Lopez’s role combined him and Cameron. The character’s name reflects that combination. It is not a third teacher to add to the historical team.
The same interview includes Cristian and Lorenzo discussing their experiences, making it a useful companion to the drama. Use our George Lopez character guide for the screen credits and film-versus-fact comparison for other differences.
A robotics legacy beyond one competition
| Year | Milestone | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The underwater robotics victory | The four students’ remotely operated robot, Stinky, is central to the story dramatized in Spare Parts. |
| 2008 | FIRST Championship Chairman’s Award | Falcon Robotics, Team 842, received this award. It is a separate FIRST achievement, not the underwater contest depicted in the film. |
| 2014–2015 | Documentary and drama | Underwater Dreams and Spare Parts brought the school’s story to different audiences through documentary and dramatization. |
| 2024 | A twentieth-anniversary conversation | Lorenzo Santillan and Fredi Lajvardi took part in a Chandler screening discussion with members of the film’s creative team. |
The FIRST Hall of Fame’s Team 842 profile records the 2008 award. Keeping those competitions separate matters: the school’s robotics program has a broader history than the single victory that inspired the film.
Cronkite News’s September 2024 report documents the later screening and describes Lajvardi’s move into STEM work with the Si Se Puede Foundation after retirement from teaching. That is a dated checkpoint, not a statement about his current position.
Bring the school’s story into a lesson
Start with a source comparison: watch a scene with Fredi Cameron, then read the real mentor’s PBS interview. Ask students what changes when two people become one film character, and which source supports each factual claim.
- Use the discussion guide and printable worksheet to explore teamwork and adaptation.
- Study Stinky’s design before drawing a remotely operated vehicle.
- Try the robotics learning activities to investigate control rules and sensor readings.
- Read dated follow-ups on the real students to continue beyond the competition.