Garrison Lego Robotics Team on to state

Congratulations to Garrison Middle School’s FIRST® Lego League robotics team for placing in the top six during a regional competition on Saturday, December 8, 2018 in Pasco. As a result, the students have been invited to attend the Eastern Washington State championship in Spokane. The “Cod3breakers” also received the “Core Values Award” trophy for the student’s “Gracious Professionalism” which was judged throughout the tournament.

Since last summer, the team of nine students has been meeting regularly with instructor Mike Bertram in order to build and program robots, learn about teamwork and to develop a project for competition.

Each fall, FIRST unveils a new “mission” which includes a robot challenge and associated research project. This year’s challenge, “Into Orbit” included navigating space-themed obstacles. Students built and programmed their Lego robots and also research a problem that astronauts might encounter during an extremely long space journey. The team learned that with “Gracious Professionalism,” fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Gracious professionals learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. FIRST is More Than Robots. FIRST participation is proven to encourage students to pursue education and careers in STEM-related fields, inspire them to become leaders and innovators, and enhance their 21st century work-life skills. Read more about the Impact of FIRST.