LAWN, N.L. — Easter break was a blast for a group of students from Holy Name of Mary Academy.
During the school recess for the holiday last month, the Mustang Megabots travelled from Lawn all the way to Detroit, MI., for the FIRST Lego League World Championships.
The week was filled with fun, challenges and excitement. Teams from all over the world – 108 in all – participated in the event, showcasing their projects to those in attendance.
During the championships, teams had to undergo three group interviews, each 15 minutes in length, where they were judged on their project, their robot design and the FIRST core values. The judges listened to the presentations and asked questions to clarify information.
Another component of the competition was the robot missions. Each team worked hard all year to program their robot to complete 15 missions from the “Into Orbit” mission field. The robots came in all shapes and sizes and teams found interesting ways to solve the tasks.
The week in Detroit was not all about the competition – all 50,000 people involved were invited to Ford Field for an opening party at the beginning of the event and a closing celebration. Both nights were full of fun activities, loud music and an enthusiastic crowd.
The icing on the cake for the Mustang Megabots came during the awards ceremony. The team – along with other winners from Austria, Trinidad and Tobago, Norway, the United States and Wales – was presented with one of six judge’s choice awards.
“For a small school of 85 students to be recognized at a world competition was no small feat and we are so proud that we could represent our province so well,” coach Jean ann Lambert acknowledged.
“This trip would not have been possible if it weren’t for the continued support of our staff, students, parents, community and friends near and far.”
