FIRST LEGO League Challenge invades McBride Middle School

Thirty-four elementary and middle school teams descended on McBride Middle School on Saturday, Dec. 2, to compete in the Belleville FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge Qualifier Event.
The Belleville FLL event, hosted by the Tiger Robotics Booster Organization (TRBO) and Van Buren Public Schools, was held in the district for the first time.
The district has been host to four FIRST Robotics Competition District Events at Belleville High School for high school robotics teams since 2018.
FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a US-based organization which creates and administers robotics competitions for students from elementary to high school ages all around the world.
FIRST LEGO League introduces science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to children in the lower primary grades. FIRST LEGO League participants gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program, engaging in hands-on STEM experiences which build confidence, grow their knowledge, and develop habits of learning.
Friendly competition is at the heart of the Challenge division, as teams of students engage in research, problem-solving, software coding, and engineering – building and programming a LEGO robot that navigates the missions of a robot game. As part of Challenge, teams also participate in a research project to identify and solve a relevant real-world problem.
The 2023 Challenge game, entitled “Masterpiece,” is an arts-themed activity which involves completing up to 15 separate missions with the robot during the two-and-a-half-minute match. Robots begin in one of two launch areas where teams can physically interact with the robot, preparing it for each mission as required.
Once the robot leaves the launch area, it’s on its own to complete the mission without contact from the team, relying only on the robot design and the programming skills of the team.
Each team plays in four matches to compile their best score which includes robot performance as well as how the team interacts with each other during the competition, something which FIRST calls “Gracious Professionalism.”
Teams also engage with a panel of judges who assess their knowledge of design, innovation, and FIRST core values, all of which factor into the final scores for the teams.
At the end of the day-long competition, two teams from Salem Elementary School in Salem Township, “Salem Coyotes 1 and 2,” finished first and third, respectively, and “The Bobs” from Monroe Road Elementary School in Lambertville claimed the second spot.
These teams, as well as the fourth-through-eighth-place finishers, were all invited to compete in the state tournament at Saline on Dec. 16.
Five teams from Van Buren Public Schools competed in the event with the team from Owen Intermediate School as the top district finisher followed by teams from Savage, Edgemont, Tyler, and Rawsonville elementary schools.
TRBO hopes this will become an annual event to help promote STEM interest and education within the district at all levels.
— Mark Laginess
Tiger Robotics Booster Organization