Students who take part in the FIRST Lego League build robots to compete in challenges against other teams.
All the while, they’re also building something else — character.
Students learn to work as a team, display gracious professionalism, take direction, solve problems, repurpose materials, and give back to the community.
On Saturday (Nov. 21) the Shelton High School gym was humming with students, parents, and mentors from around Connecticut taking part in the 12th annual FIRST LEGO League qualifying tournament.
The 22 teams used programmable Lego robots they had constructed as they competed on several large tables set up as playing fields.
The theme was ‘Trash Trek.’
Shelton Robotics adviser John Niski explained:
“Students had to identify a problem related to trash and come up with innovative solutions to that problem and then make presentations to a panel of judges about their solution.
The Robot ‘game’ board was set up with different challenges that represented different ‘trash’ areas, i.e. landfill area, compost pile, sorting recycling, etc.
The third area of competition deals with the FLL Core Values and judges determine how well team members work together and exhibit the core values of the organization.”
More info on the game can be found at the league’s website.
FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”
John Niski, the FIRST Lego League Shelton Coordinator for Shelton Public Schools, said the competition was one of eight qualifying events held throughout the state.
After Saturday’s contest Niski said all three Shelton teams — the Brainiacs, Dominators, and Predators — qualified for the state tournament scheduled Dec. 5 at Shelton High School.
Full results are posted in a PDF below.
“FIRST builds people, and robots,” said mentor Rick Vogl of Shelton, who has been involved in the program since 1998.
Vogl said students are taught that it’s “more important what we learn than what we win.”
Austin D’Aulizio, Perry Hill School sixth grader and one of the Brainiacs, said, “Overall I’ve learned to do better as a team.”
His mom, Christine D’Aulizio, said a big part of the program has been learning the importance of recycling.
“We pay a lot more attention to recycling at home now,” she said.
Shelton resident Swamy Rajamanickam, a volunteer, said he was pleased his two sons — fifth grader Adarsh and eighth grader Anish — were involved in robotics.
“They’ve learned teamwork and how to coordinate with others,” he said.
Shelton High School senior Henry Jiang, captain of the Gaelhawks 230 team, said he got involved with robotics as a freshman because he always loved tinkering.
“The team is like a small company,” he said, with everyone playing a key role. Jobs include pit crew, designing, building, marketing, and more.
Jiang plans to major in mechanical engineering in college.
“This (robotics program) was a deciding factor,” he said.
