Students from all three middle schools recently competed in the First Lego League regional qualifying event at Clifton High School. Below is a recap from each.
Buzz Aldrin’s Buzz Bots team, led by technology teacher Timothy White, saw their robot run ranked 14th out of the 36 teams there. They also presented their innovation project, which was a subscription-based sports equipment rental system. “Although we did not advance to the State competition, the students represented themselves and the school well and had a great time!” said White.
Glenfield’s Robotic Gladiators “did an amazing job at the event and were very happy with the results,” said science teacher Emma Tami. The team is advancing to the State Tournament taking place in three weeks. The team's robot placed 4th overall in the robot games and had a high score of 320 points. “Each team needs to decide on a problem that is currently relevant and provide a solution for that problem,” she explained. “Our team decided to focus on the fact that robotics kits are too expensive and developed a new robot kit that would be less expensive for school districts.” Additionally, the team won the Rising All Star Award and the Coach of the Year Award.
Renaissance’s TORN team, composed of students Eve Brackenbury, Sarah Mifan, Oliver Brackenbury, Victoria Luna, Jake Handelsman, Jackson Mixer, Miles Ekroth, and Zaid Mifan, under the guidance of science teacher Emil Cullen, demonstrated outstanding technical skills, collaboration, and innovation, earning an impressive 16th place out of 36 teams. In addition, TORN was honored with the First Core Value Award, a testament to their exceptional teamwork and positive spirit. “This accomplishment is particularly noteworthy given the challenges faced in recent years,” said Principal Maria Francisco. “Kudos to Ms. Cullen for securing additional resources, including five extra robots, through collaboration with Ms. Jennifer Goforth, MPS STEM Director.”
Congratulations to all our middle school teams!