Ever though they narrowly missed a spot in the state championships, the fifth-grade students on Springfield Plains Elementary’s LEGO Robotics team have plenty to be proud of.
The students who comprised the team ‘LEGO my NANO? competed against other schools at the regional challenge at Lakeland High School in White Lake on Nov. 11.
The competition was part of the initial round of challenges for the annual First LEGO League international robotics competition. Only the top 12 teams at the regional competition were permitted to advance to the state competition in December.
The SPE team came up a few points short of placing in the top 12, but their coach Larry Clement was still very proud of his team’s work.
‘I think it went very well,? Clement said. ‘They know what to do next year.?
The team’s efforts did not go unnoticed, however. The students? projects were graded in several different categories, including research quality, robot design, presentation, teamwork, spirit, and innovative solutions. The team earned ‘excellent? ratings in all areas of innovative solution and were awarded a second-place trophy for their efforts.
Clement said that since all the team members were new, there were no past experiences to go from. The team watched a tape of the previous year’s competition, but having now participated in one, he said he thinks they are better prepared for the future.