Heartland Community School release
The Heartland Robotics Teams, comprised of 5th- 8th-graders, competed in the 16th Annual FIRST LEGO League Challenge Championship on March 21st and 22nd on UNL’s campus. The two teams began working in October by unpacking this season’s challenge called Submerged. The teams worked hard researching possible problems surrounding the topic of exploring the Earth’s oceans. They also built Spike Prime LEGO robots and worked diligently to program them to complete numerous missions on the game board.
On Friday, teams unpacked their gear and set up their pit area in the Cook Pavilion. Then they presented their Innovation Project solution and gave a robot presentation to a panel of judges. After the judging teams took a tour and got to explore the filming room at the Johnny Carson for Emerging Arts building. Saturday teams were back for a day of robot games and interviews. Between competing, students were able to talk with businesses that use robots in their production.
The Jr High team, called the “Big Brain Burrito,” came home with a finalist trophy for their Innovation Project called “Free From Ghost Gear.” Their mission was to educate citizens on the dangers of ghost gear and engage them in an incentive program to remove abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear from the oceans. They hope this will save many marine animals from dying unnecessary deaths.
The 5th and 6th grade team, the “Fish Sticks,” delivered a fascinating presentation about their project, Fish Forecast. This team focused on educating people about the dangers of overfishing, especially around coral reefs. They designed an interactive podium that would allow citizens to learn about the problems with overfishing, along with some live fish cameras so people could see the fish swimming around the coral reefs.
JH team members:
Jack Bearinger, Ryker Stebbing, Tori Thieszen, Jagger Regier, Trent Vap
5th-6th team members:
James Janzen, Emily Mierau, Tori Buzek, Brigham Blase, Grace Goertzen, Leo Goertzen
Robot Game Information:
Teams must complete autonomously (no remote control). They have 2 ½ minutes to complete as many missions as possible. Missions are designed around the ocean theme. Fun fact: Cody Brown has participated in the last several seasons as a Robot Design Judge!
Big Brain Burrito team members from L to R: Jagger Regier, Ryker Stebbing, Jack Bearinger, and Tori Thieszen – courtesy photos
5th & 6th Grade Fish Stick Team – courtesy photo
