Two teams of Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School students turned in impressive performances in a Long Island regional FIRST Lego League qualifying tournament at Huntington High School that drew 40 squads from across Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The competition consisted of three segments: robot game, project and core values. Teams comprised of up to 10 students program autonomous robots to score points on a themed playing field (the robot game), they develop a solution to a problem they have identified related to the theme (the project) and they exhibit the “core values” by participating in teamwork/collaborative activities.
The Jack Abrams School sixth grade team consisting of Bradley Contreras, Ashley Garcia Alvarez, Robert Giordano, Geoffrey Hoffman, Isaac Joseph, Valentina Maldonado Martinez, Dominic Mattio, Michael Mendikyan, Maggie O’Toole and Anshi Paul kicked-off the competition by quickly mesmerizing the judges and capturing the Core Value Inspiration Award.
“But this team really shined when it presented their project solution, a ‘vege-table’ as a means of providing fresh micro greens to astronauts working on the space station,” Principal Donna Moro said.
The combination of points earned in all three aspects of the competition gave the Huntington sixth graders a berth in the Long Island championship round on March 3 at Longwood High School.
“While every student at STEM learns how to design and program Lego robots during their scheduled class time in our Innovation Lab, there are two teams; one fifth grade group and one sixth grade group that dedicate countless hours after school and during lunch to prepare to compete in the regional qualifying event,” Ms. Moro explained.
Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School fifth grade Lego League team members Boris Caceres, Wynne Franciscovich, Chelsea Gordon, Mia Johnson, Avery Joshua-Tor, Christian Luca, Acxel Ramirez Hernandez and Daniel Sorto Torres were also sensational, impressing the judges with their innovative method of protecting space craft from micrometeorites.
“These fifth graders researched biomimicry (emulating nature to sustainably solve problems) and historic methods of developing armor to come up with their solution,” Ms. Moro said. “As a young team in this competitive group, our fifth grade students made their mark leaving no doubt this team has a bright future ahead.”
