Members of the Brenda Norwood Elementary BeeBots search for robot parts at Charlene McKinzey Middle School . The robotics Team F . I . S . H . at McKinzey recently began mentoring the elementary group .
TOUGH ROBOTICS COMPETITION HELPS STUDENTS BUILD SOFT SKILLS
Student teams at the First LEGO
League Robotics competition only have 2 and a half minutes to get their robot to complete up to 15 tasks like powering a small toy or raising a mini-TV . Teams don ’ t earn points if the robot fails to complete a mission or needs to be fixed mid-task .
For many , the contest is a great opportunity to practice maintaining composure under stress . Teams are even judged by how they interact with one another during the competition , and they earn points for Gracious Professionalism .
“ It feels like the longest and shortest time ,” said Alejandro Gonzalez , an eighth grader at Charlene McKinzey STEM Academy and member of Team F . I . S . H ., which stands for FLL ’ s Intelligent Super Hero ’ s .
Gonzalez and other MISD students took part in the most recent First LEGO League Robotics competition held in January .
Not only are these teams learning engineering and programming concepts to build their robots , they ’ re also developing soft skills including communication , adaptability , problem solving , creative thinking , teamwork , leadership , and stress management . Soft skills like this are helping learners prepare for life , which aligns with Vision 2030 , the district ’ s strategic plan to ensure graduates are college , career , and life ready .
“ It helps me learn how to deal with stress in high , tense situations since I ’ m not faced with this every day in my life ,” said Charlene McKinzey STEM Academy eighth-grader Annalese Maltsberger , also a Team F . I . S . H . member .
Fourth-grader Israel Musoni , a member of the Brenda Norwood STEM Academy BeeBots , said participating in the competition was scary but exhilarating .
“ It ’ s like living one of the best moments of your life ,” he said . Israel enjoyed spending time with this team on competition day .
The experience also gave students the opportunity to bond with one another .
“ I love working with my team , it ’ s like a friend group ,” said Alejandro . “ We ’ re pretty close to family at this point .”
Overall , Team F . I . S . H . earned first place in robot design , the Wester Middle School Robocats won a Breakthrough Award , and the BeeBots won a Core Values Award at the January competition .
All teams advanced to the First LEGO League North Texas Regional Final , where Team F . I . S . H . finished in the top 25 % of teams and the BeeBots won a Rising All-Star award .
23 MANSFIELDTODAY