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St. Henry middle school students practice their robotic skills during a LEGO league meeting after school on Monday.
ST. HENRY - Middle school students on St. Henry's FIRST LEGO League team can attest that science is indeed fun.
The team will compete in the Dayton District Qualifier on Saturday at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton.
The competition will determine if the team advances to the Ohio Championship at Hobart Arena in Troy from March 9-10.
FIRST LEGO League is an organization that introduces science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to children through hands-on learning. The FIRST LEGO League Challenge is for students in grades 4-8 and is all about fun and friendly competition.
The St. Henry team, which is led by STEM teacher Kelly Muhlenkamp, engages in contests through the FIRST LEGO League Challenge.
It consists of 10 students in grades 6-8: Collin Holdheide, Henry Howe, Caleb Schlater, Dominic Holdheide, Hayden Kirtley, Rudy Garman, Isaac Lammers, Leo Stachler, Jackson Howe and Clayton Koesters.
The St. Henry team's robot was built and programmed by the team's 10 members.
At competitions, teams engage in research, problem-solving, coding and engineering by building and programming a LEGO robot which navigates the missions of a robot game. Teams participate in robot design, an innovation project and a robot game all while demonstrating the competition's core values of fun, teamwork, inclusion, discovery, impact and innovation.
"It's all about friendly competition," Muhlenkamp said. "They're kind of judged on (cooperation) throughout the whole event."
The innovation project involves identifying a problem, designing a solution and creating a prototype or model that communicates the solution's impact, per the leauge's website.
"What they had to do this year is use technology in the arts to get people hooked on a hobby of theirs," Muhlenkamp said. "Our team chose fishing. They created a whole website to learn about fishing. Their focus was getting middle school students interested in fishing."
Eighth graders Dominic Holdheide and Caleb Schlater fix a piece on their LEGO robot.
The students received feedback while creating the website from the St. Henry web design teacher and Mercer County Wildlife Officer Brad Buening.
"Not only did they learn the technology parts by doing the missions, they have to use it," she said. "We chose to use the website."
The students presented their website to a panel of judges and competed in various 2½ minute robotic games at regionals.
They had to build and code a robot to compete in robot games at the competitions.
This year's robot design and game is about technology that will improve an audience's experience of creative production. Robots start in a launch area on the competition mat and attempt missions in an order of the team's choosing. Teams play multiple matches but only the highest score matters. Points are scored by activating different types of technology on the mat.
The St. Henry team at regionals scored 80 points in the first round, 125 points in the second round and 250 points in the third round. The team placed third overall in robotics and qualified for districts.
An intricate LEGO construction.
Middle school principal Kyle Kunk said the program has definitely allowed students to build confidence. Student Collin Holdheide said the league is a great opportunity.
"It's a one of a kind experience," Holdheide said. "You put a bunch of skills together."
His teammate Rudy Garman added that just like everyone on the team, he likes to play with LEGOs and hang out with his friends.
Sixth grader Jackson Howe works on his laptop.
LEGO mini figures at St. Henry's FIRST LEGO league practice.
