The Gray Station Middle School Robotics Team has entered the First Lego League Challenge, in its first year, and the students have already achieved notable success.
The team participated in the regional competition at Middle Georgia State University in December and earned the Core Values Award. They were recognized for their effective teamwork, respect, innovation, creativity, willingness to explore new ideas and skills, ability to have fun, and the positive impact of their work.
They competed in the super-regional event in January at STARBASE Robins, an educational center at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins. Their impressive performance earned them the Championship Award, which secured an automatic bid to the state competition at the University of Georgia Feb. 15.
The team consists of 13 middle school students led by Leroy Books, a sixth-grade math teacher at Gray Station.
The participating students are sixth graders Wesson Lewis and Benjamin Litch, seventh graders Gia Backus, Jonah Bresse, Jericho Bresse, Yareth Hasty, Cruz Hudgins, Chace Richards, Avery Scott, Jeremiah Thomas and eighth graders Joseph Bartlett, Brantley Griffin and Talon Henderson.
“These students were picked from a list of about 45 who showed interest. To be considered, the students had to have at least two teacher referrals, and previous experience in robotics was something I was looking for quite heavily. When I selected these 13 students, I had no idea they would work so well together,” Brooks said.
The students explained that the First Lego League Challenge consists of two main components: the “Innovation Challenge” and “Missions.”
The “Innovation Challenge” requires students to research a problem and creatively devise a solution through persistent research efforts.
Backus discussed the theme of this year’s “Innovation Challenge” and the team’s objective.
“This year’s theme is ‘Submerged,’ so we had to find a problem in the ocean and come up with a solution,” she said.
During the team’s planning stages, Backus proposed an idea for the challenge to her teammates, which they collaboratively developed further and showcased at the competitions.
“What we came up with was coral reef bleaching. That happens when there’s a sudden change in temperature or weather, and the algae that the fish eat goes out of the coral, and the fish can’t live there,” she explained.
The student discussed the team’s proposed solution.
“We came up with a solution: limestone. We saw on a website about this place in Madagascar, where they use limestone and make it into a coral reef. We found the idea and thought it was really good, and we improved on it with Mod Podge from Hobby Lobby to make it waterproof, so the limestone doesn’t dissolve as fast,” Backus said.
The students presented their research findings before a panel of judges using PowerPoint at the regional competitions, along with essential information about their robot for the “Missions” portion of the challenge, which they will also present at the state level.
The “Missions” section of the competition requires students to complete as many oceanthemed Lego challenges as possible from a total of fifteen challenges. The students built a Lego robot to accomplish these tasks. The robot has two and a half minutes to perform the challenges, so students must program it strategically to ensure success.
Henderson described some of the Lego missions that students must program the robot to complete for the state competition.
“There’s this big challenge with a Lego squid. There is a rod against a wall that the robot has to push backward to make the squid fall down, and then the robot has to catch it,” the student said.
“We also have a mission called the ‘Plankton Sample,’ where we line Lego plankton on a semi-circle platform, and they go into this little crate, and the robot has to pick the plankton samples out of the crate,” he explained.
The students have carefully chosen and prioritized specific missions, as described by Henderson, that they are working to complete within the time limit. Many of these missions have multiple components, which will enable the team to earn additional points if they are completed successfully.
Another aspect of the experience that the students took initiative on was creating keychains and distributing candy to other teams and judges after the competition, aligning with the theme of their First Lego League Challenge. The students designed keychains shaped like pieces of coral and handed out rock candy that resembled coral. This act demonstrated their sportsmanship and kindness, which helped earn them the Core Values award at their first competition. The students plan to do this again at the state competition.
When discussing the upcoming state competition, one student expressed their enthusiasm.
“It will probably be one of the most exciting things I will ever do,” the student said.
Alongside the students’ enthusiasm, Brooks expressed pride in the hard work and achievements of all his students.
“They are great teammates along with their parents as well. I have worked with students for quite a few years, but this group is very special.
Their imagination and cognitive thinking skills will open pathways to success. I think it would be safe to say that each and every one of these kids has a very bright future ahead of them whether it’s in the field of robotics, engineering, or anything else they have their minds set on,” Brooks said.
The teacher also discussed the future of the Robotics Team beyond the state competition.
“These kids will always be special to me as they were the first Robotics Team here at GSMS, and in their first year, they have made it to the state finals. With their success this year, I’m sure the interest level will hit a peak next year,” he said.
Additionally, Brooks expressed gratitude towards the community partners of the Jones County School System for their support in ensuring the success of the Robotics Team.
“I want to thank our mentor and coach, Jamal Smith of STARBASE Robins, and their involvement as they donated all the equipment we needed to succeed. I also want to thank Alicia Henderson for bringing such enthusiasm and knowledge to help us be successful,” the teacher concluded.
