A robotics team from Maple Ridge will be heading to California to compete against the best from around the world after coming second in the LEGO Robotics Challenge at Meadowridge School.
The event started with 95 teams and then 32 teams advanced to the FIRST LEGO League BC/Yukon Territory Championship and Festival, hosted by Meadowridge School at the beginning of March.
And, Meadowridge Royal NPC team – made up of Grade 8 students, Adi B., Brayden H., Lawrence X., Zayaan L., Aryamaan B., Surya S., Wes M., and Ben A. – placed second.
This is the highest Meadowridge has ever placed at the competition.
Chemistry teacher Carrie Mohoruk, who is the founder of the robotics program at Meadowridge, explained the second place team has worked together for several years now, and remain highly independent, often collaborating after school and on weekends.
And, she added, their efforts have been entirely student driven.
“This is an exceptionally motivated group; it was their own initiative to upgrade and build, and they consistently spent five days a week after school working on their project—well beyond any requirements,” said Mohoruk.
“They are thrilled, as are their parents. This marks the first time a team from Meadowridge has advanced to an international event, and as a school, we are incredibly proud of their achievement,” she added.
Every year FIRST LEGO League releases a new challenge based on a real-world, scientific theme.
This year’s theme, “UNEARTHED,” challenged students to explore how engineering and technology can help uncover the past and shape the future.
The game took teams on an archaeological adventure, having their robots explore dig sites, carefully excavating artifacts hidden beneath layers of rock and soil, and uncovering clues that reveal stories of past civilizations.
As teams journeyed farther into the dig site, they encountered more challenging terrain, fragile ruins, and delicate artifacts that required precision to retrieve with damaging them.
Meadowridge had four teams competing: Meadowridge Circuit Breakers, Meadowridge Tech-o Terrors, The Meadowridge Royal NPC, and Meadowridge Mission Jellycat.
Teams also had to present their innovation project and robot design work to a panel of judges who asked them questions about their work and judged them on teamwork, discovery, inclusion, innovation, impact, and how they put fun into their work.
More than 400 people attended the event at the school.
The team is now onto the Western Edge competition in Long Beach, California, from May 28-31, where they will face off with teams from around the world.
For more information go to: https://cafirst.org/westernedge/.