The Winnemucca Grammar School Lego Robotics Teams completed another successful year of competitions and were honored by the Humboldt County Board of Trustees at their meeting on Feb 27. Pictured (left to right): Back: Trustees Lonnie Hammargren, Abe Swensen, Sabrina Uhlmann, Ron Moser, Nicole Bengochea, Jenna Owen, and Lorie Woodland. Front: Teacher Heidi Renteria, Students Mya Robertson, Leon Mendoza, Aksh Bajwa, and Teacher Micalya Daniel. Not pictured: Britney Beeson, Daxton Shoemaker, Lyla Soderstrom, and Savanna Ellwood.
The Winnemucca Grammar School (WGS) just finished the third season with WGS Lego robotics competition teams. The two teams are part of the FIRST and FIRST Nevada organizations. This year’s teams included 6-8 fourth graders who were all new to the FIRST Lego League (FLL). These students were chosen based on letters of interest they submitted in third grade.
There are several components to the FLL season including design, programming, and research. All the while, students are encouraged to embody FIRST core values: discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun. Students strengthen their teamwork and communication skills by learning how to work together to reach a common goal.
During the robotics portion, the students design and program a robot to fulfill a pre-designed mission. During the project portion, the teams research a real-world problem and devise an innovative solution.
This year’s theme was Masterpiece. Students programmed their robots to complete missions related to the arts (i.e. visual arts, theater, music, and more). They created innovation projects in order to share an interest or hobby.
During the northern Nevada qualifier on December 9, one of the teams received the Rising All-Star Award. This award is given to teams whom the judges notice and expect great things from in the future.
WGS is very proud of all of all the team members’ teamwork and effort! They frequently worked to include each other’s ideas and compromise. The teams met as an extracurricular group after school once a week, but many students worked voluntarily over their recesses to complete their projects.