Student Spotlight: FIRST LEGO League

Laurel has always put a heavy emphasis on STEM-related curriculum and has worked hard over the years to provide a bevy of offerings that empower students to embrace learning and to thrive in science and math. So it came as no surprise when in 2018, four Sixth Graders came together with an interest to learn more about robotics. Their passion in this space, along with the excitement and drive of Sarah McKeown, Middle School Computer Science Teacher and Instructional Design and Innovation Specialist, led to the launch of Laurel’s FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team. The group affectionately refers to themselves as The Science Sisters. This small but mighty team was dedicated to the Battlebots Competition, a local robotics competition open to Fourth-Eighth Graders.

“I had heard about FIRST LEGO League but I knew it would be a huge commitment for the kids,” said Mrs. McKeown. “The truth is—I knew these kids were ready, capable, and up for the challenge. I reached out to their families and explained the program and we hit the ground running!”

That first team ignited a passion for robotics and saw huge success in competition, including a win in the Core Values category, which led to competition at Districts and then at States. The success of the FIRST LEGO League team has continued, garnering interest from new Middle School students. Now in its fourth year, The Science Sisters are still learning, growing, competing and having a blast!

FIRST LEGO League’s core values: • DISCOVERY: We explore new skills and ideas. • INNOVATION: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems. • IMPACT: We apply what we learn to improve our world. • INCLUSION: We respect each other and embrace our differences. • TEAMWORK: We are stronger when we work together. • FUN: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!

Since its launch, Laurel’s Middle School Robotics Team members have all worked together as a team to achieve success. Mrs. McKeown commented that, “Teams are most successful when they focus on FIRST’s core values, which are the foundation of FLL. The judges always want students to put the core values at the center of everything they do and they look for ways in which teams exemplify these values.”

Core values aside, teams that work well together and complement one another’s strengths typically shine. In fact, teamwork is a major coal for the group. “Working together on a team with varying personalities can be tricky,” said Mrs. McKeown. “I love to watch teams handle varying opinions and ideas while still operating out of gracious professionalism.”

Gracious Professionalism—a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the values of others, and respects individuals and the community, is another key component of FLL competitions. The term comes directly from their vision and mission, something Mrs. McKeown works hard to instill in the girls she works with.

Laurel girls are no strangers to understanding the importance of resilience in everything they do and robotics is no different. Teams must be resilient when they program their robot on the Robot Game Table. There are so many variables that could go wrong when programming. The process takes a great deal of trial and error, and perseverance. “These are valuable skills and life lessons they will carry with them,” Mrs. McKeown said. “Robotics just allows the team to hone these skills and prepare to take on future challenges.”

Each year the FLL is presented with a different theme. “We have had themes of space, cities, sports, and now cargo,” said Mrs. McKeown. “The goal is to take real-world problems and create a real-world solution.”

This year the main objective is to identify a specific problem related to making the transportation journey of products better. Our focus is specifically on how a package gets into the home of a person with disabilities or for a person who might live alone and require assistance with a heavy or awkwardly-shaped package. In the Fall the team met virtually with iBOT by Mobius Mobility to learn more about their unique wheelchair technology, which enables wheelchair bound people to have increased mobility on stairs and uneven terrain.

The team took what they learned from iBOT and developed a similar product that would allow people to move packages up and down stairs with ease. While it is iBOT inspired, the team made tweaks to the design so the package could sit on the base of the Smart Cart and somehow be strapped in for security.

“In order to create our prototype, we needed to understand the mechanics that went into the original iBOT,” said Mrs. McKeown. “We reached out to Mobius Mobility who was very excited to work with us and very responsive. We had a Zoom meeting where we were able to see the iBot in action and learn all about the mechanics. Their guidance really helped our team press ahead with our own innovative ideas.”

The guidance from iBOT coupled with the team's own ingenuity and perseverance led to some fantastic results at the Regional Competition, which took place virtually in January 2022. In fact, The Science Sisters took an impressive 1st place award for the best innovative project in the competition. For the robot game the team was asked to program missions to be completed on the mission table and the team took 4th place out of 24 teams! Their hard work earned them a spot at the District Tournament where they won the Core Values award, which focuses on keeping discovery, impact, fun, innovation, inclusion, and teamwork at the center of all they do. The team also scored big on the mission table, advancing them to the State competition. The State competition was the end of the Sisters’ journey this year but we look forward to what this young Middle School team will bring in the future.

The Science Sisters have an undeniable bond. Their passion for robotics and programming is evident in the amount of time—both inside and outside of school—that they put in to succeed. “This group is so special because they have created a family-like atmosphere,” said Mrs. McKeown. “Once you are a Science Sister, you are always a Science Sister. The students who started the team have now graduated into Ninth Grade and VEX Robotics. But, in keeping with the family dynamic, they are now the 'elders' who support the team and come back to help current members. This group makes everyone feel welcome and makes everyone feel like they belong. They are a really special group. They are very passionate about robotics and care deeply about their work and one another.”