Robotics Tournament

Saturday, January 31, we spent the day at the Soldotna Elementary School for the rescheduled Kenai Peninsula First Lego League Robotics Tournament. The district canceled travel two weeks prior due to weather, so our teams missed the state competition in Anchorage, and Brandon was ready to go!

His team, the Climaticators, made up of Sunny, Patrick, Marley, Brandon, and Abby, worked for three months after school twice a week building and programing a Lego robot, doing research on the effects of the climate change on salmon runs in Alaska, interviewing scientists, and preparing a project and presentation.













Dave, the state coordinator for the tournament made a special trip to host our event. His booming voice, plaid kilt, and admonitions to "Have Fun!" set him apart.

Brandon's team had three rounds at the Lego table where they had three minutes to complete different missions, each with a unique program and apparatus. They improved from 50 points to 65 and finally 90 points in the last round when Brandon's segment was completed perfectly... the robot pushed the insulation blocks to the house and opened the window. He was PUMPED!!
The kids also had three rounds of judging on their project presentation, robot design, and teamwork strategies. Out of the eight teams present, the Climaticators earned enough points for SECOND PLACE all around! Brandon's teacher Sheryl and I caught tears in our eyes at several times during the day - so proud of these kids! WOW.