A pair of robot-building teams from Jessie Clark Middle School will compete in the KY-FLL state championships Feb. 2 at Western Kentucky University. They, along with three other teams in the Lexington/UK region, advance after a strong showing in the FIRST LEGO League’s Dec. 1 qualifier.
In the 2012 Senior Solutions Challenge, students are exploring the topic of aging and how it can affect a person’s ability to maintain his or her lifestyle – solving issues like getting around, keeping in touch and staying fit. Teams research obstacles and then suggest ways to improve the seniors’ quality of life. They also build, test and program an autonomous robot to solve a set of missions on an obstacle course. Throughout their experience, the students demonstrate the FLL core values.
Regional results for the Jessie Clark teams moving on to state competition:
• Fourth place overall and first place in “Core Values: Gracious Professionalism” – Team “General Leeagle”: seventh-graders Ramsey Amoudi, Jonathan Browning, Tyler Ferry, Katya Kovatsenko, Ben Maddox, Erin Remley, Sebastian Rojas, Hadieh Zolfagheri and Hossein Zolfagheri.
• Fifth place overall and first place in “Robot Design” – Team “Herbieagle”: eighth-graders Jason Burke, Hunter Delong, Cager Garrett, Sota Iida, Korbin Jackson, Brennan Johnson, Niklas Johnson, Brian Johnston, Brady Marshall and Austin Pedroche.
These students are all coached by Mark Evans. For more information about robotics opportunities throughout Fayette County Public Schools, contact district technology resource teacher Leanna Prater.