On Jan. 16, a total of 57 teams from as far north as Barrow and as far south as Metlakatla participated in the FIRST LEGO League Championship at South Anchorage High School. Juneau was represented by teams from Floyd Dryden Middle School, Raven Correspondence and Juneau Community Charter School. Team A2Z, from JCCS, took home the second place Champion’s award.
The competition is about more than robots; it’s about inspiring students to create solutions to real world challenges. Participants showed their programming, engineering and math skills by building autonomous robots to perform specific missions. All FLL challenges are based on a current topic which is universally relevant.
In this year’s Trash Trek Challenge, teams explored the topic of waste and tried to find innovative solutions to Alaska’s trash problem. Many team solutions have already been implemented around the state and their efforts have won praise from waste management professionals. Ideas ranged from new dumpster designs to cultivating meal worms that can digest plastic. Teams have also practiced and learned FIRST® LEGO® League’s Core Values, which include treating others with respect, finding answers on your own and having fun while you’re doing it.
JCCS’s Team A2Z embraced the competition’s core values while achieving excellence and innovation in both the Robot Game and Project. The team will participate in the championship at LEGOLAND® in California this May.
“A2Z will need to work really hard to continue developing their project and to improve their performance in the robot game…and they’re up for it!” Co-coach Steve Morley said.
Juneau Economic Development Council coordinates the program as a part of the talent development initiative. Programs like FIRST® encourage students to pursue STEM fields where jobs are in high demand and known to boost local economies.
