RALSTON, Neb. (KMTV) — It's state tournament season, and not just the likes of wrestling, swimming and basketball, but hundreds of Nebraska kids - including Ralston Middle School's Rockin' Rexes - will soon compete in the FIRST LEGO League solving robotics challenges and more.
Read on for the expanded story:
Christine Redemske teaches at Ralston Middle School and has coached FIRST LEGO League for nine years. The international program brings together design, engineering, programming and teamwork. In all of it, there's potential for points.
During practice, Mrs. Redemske's team makes adjustments to their robot, Shelby. The team named it after member, Victor's, late turtle. Nevermind the time it took to construct the vehicle - Guy, who's in 8th grade, said it took a few months just to program two of its legs using block code.
"I like coding the missions and then, as well, I liked designing stuff for the project. Which was pretty sweet," he shared.
Another teammate, Colton, has the duty of getting Shelby off to a strong start on the course.
"There's a sense - this is where we get most of our points," he said of the pressure. Because, even a half-inch one way or another could be critical in maximizing points.
Though, the robot is only part of the competition. Inspired by the CHALLENGE theme, 'MASTERPIECE,' students also have to identify a problem and create a solution.
The Rockin' Rexes addressed the opportunity of better communicating during live concerts. They created a simple and low-cost pedal which would allow musicians to non-verbally signal to a sound engineer.
The fouth competition element is 'core values,' which Maya, also in 8th grade, said is her favorite.
"A few examples are fun, innovation, teamwork and gracious professionalism," she said.
Natalie Ryan attended Ralston Middle School, and competed in FIRST LEGO League under Coach Redemske.
"I think it lights a spark in a lot of kids," she explained.
Today, Natalie is studying computer engineering at UNO.
"As I got older, I started to really like technology and I'd done this program when I was in 8th grade and I got to see really cool things," she remembered.
As those experiences shaped her goals, you see it in this current team, as well.
Guy wants to be an architect. Maya says FIRST LEGO League supports her creativity, and she plans to become a writer.
The Rockin' Rexes are one of 95 active teams in Nebraska. The state competition begins on March 16th. Then, teams from Nebraska, Iowa and around the world will compete in Houston starting April 17th.
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