By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Salina Post
Championship events for most mean fanfare and noise, but at Lakewood Middle School on Saturday, students quietly gathered around colorful tables preparing to compete for First Lego League Central Kansas Champion.
The Oklahoma Science and Engineering Foundation, or OKSEF, volunteered to manage the event at Lakewood Middle, providing tables and challenges for 13 middle and elementary teams.
The Championship Cup for the Central Kansas winner stays on the theme, made entirely from Lego bricks.
First Lego League competitions
At a First Lego League competition, teams work together on complicated robotic and program systems for the challenges.
Tasks on the competition boards include navigating the table, flipping switches and moving other Lego pieces around.
The competition provided a practice table outside the gym in the middle school's cafeteria to make any final adjustments to their intricate systems.
Lakewood Middle School Lego Robotics Team, or the Mustang Megatrons, member Dylan Atteberry, 13, said she sees her group tackle challenges together.
"I want everyone to be able to work on everything and to learn about everything," Dylan said. "It's important to have feedback from other people and also having someone there to help you."
Dylan said she had a growing interest in coding since third grade, but a Lego Robotics team wasn't available to her until middle school.
In sixth grade, Dylan joined the Mustang Megatrons and began learning about real-world uses of computer engineering.
"It's really hard to figure out because you want it to go forward, but then you have to say that in code," Dylan said. "And it's kind of weird to get used to, but it's interesting."
Another team member, Marian Wright-Bayes, 12, said she approaches problems like a puzzle, including those between other teammates.
"I like trying to work out problems with communication," Marian said. "It gets really stressful, so I like making that into a puzzle that I have to solve."
Marian said her goal is to attend Harvard University and learn as much as possible from extracurricular activities.
"I'm kind of the average nerd," Marian said. "I like robotics, math — It's just stuff that I really like to do."
Understanding math in the real world
Lakewood Middle Seventh Grade Teacher and Lego Robotics Coach Jennifer Griffin pushes her students to work together through complex tasks.
Griffin said academic extracurricular activities like Lego Robotics teach students a unique type of teamwork compared to athletic extracurriculars.
"That cooperative learning piece has been huge — being able to work as a team has been huge," Griffin said. "Even in the last two or three years, we've seen a huge change in kids."
"Their self-worth is definitely increasing — they feel more comfortable talking to others, and I would say they're willing to step out."
During the competition, students use their minds instead of their arms or legs in tandem with one another to accomplish the task.
Scott Taylor, director of OKSEF, travels around the central region of the U.S., managing events with volunteers for each Lego League competition.
"Watching those kids light up after an accomplishment — it's that "Aha!" moment," Taylor said. "And you get to watch that through all the matches, and it's incredible."
Taylor said he witnessed students from elementary to college accomplish intricate tasks set by the program, each working with their teammates toward the goal.
First Lego League allows students to apply the knowledge gained from the classroom to their understanding of the world around them.
"Doing math just for the sake of doing math is terrible," Taylor said. "Doing math to make the robot run, they go, 'Oh! Now I see why I need this stuff!'"
"All of a sudden, everything starts to turn around for those kids that didn't think they needed anything that was going on in the classroom."
Lego Robotics allows students to understand the world around them better, learn to work as a team and teaches them to push through challenges.
Lakewood Middle Lego Robotics team member Gage Martin, 13, sees valuable connections with his teammates while gaining knowledge to use now and for his future goals.
"When something works, it's seeing everyone celebrate it and getting that feeling of lightness and satisfaction," Gage said. "And seeing that what you did worked, everyone can celebrate it with you."
The Mustang Megatrons' second team placed seventh, while the first team placed 12th. The Megatrons won first place for Core Values for the First Lego League Central Kansas, which Lakewood Middle School celebrated with a pep rally on Monday.
First Lego League team number 32368, or the Beach Boys, won the First Lego League Central Kansas Championship on Saturday.