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Students showcase robotics skills in district’s first FIRST Lego League entry
Summary
District staff and students described North Syracuse’s first FIRST Lego League participation: two teams formed, trained over several weeks, and competed on Jan. 11 with a top score of 234; presenters said the experience emphasized teamwork, programming and plans to expand the program.
North Syracuse students and staff told the board about the district’s first participation in the FIRST Lego League, emphasizing hands-on learning, teamwork and plans to expand the program next year.
Brian, who organized the effort, said the district held its first team meeting in November and competed on Jan. 11. "It was hard to do," he said of the compressed schedule, then added, "they were unbelievable," describing how students designed, built and programmed robots to complete tasks on an underwater-themed playing field. He reported two teams of seven students traveled to the competition, and the top-performing team — a group of eighth graders — posted a highest score of 234 points; routine competitive runs for the teams averaged about 100 points.
Presenters said time constraints led the coaches to focus on robot design and programming rather than the research component of the challenge, but they called the experience valuable for building coding skills, collaboration and non-sports team opportunities. The board thanked the volunteers and recognized a retiring staff member who will assist with training the next coach.
Administrators said they plan to expand participation next school year by recruiting more students and adding a second coach at the school that fielded teams. The board received the presentation with appreciation.
