MANITOULIN—Parents and their children gathered at Manitoulin Secondary School on Saturday, December 7 to celebrate the twelve weeks of work their kids put into the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Explore program. Manitoulin Metal, the high school’s robotics team, organized this project to give younger students an opportunity to access robotics and computer programming. The FLL Explore teams were open to kids ages six through 10 and had weekly meetings to develop their skills to prepare for the festival competition.
The festival kicked off with the introduction of teams, First Crushers featuring Chloe, Greta, Gabe and Jace, mentored by Manitoulin Metal members Samuel Pennings, Spencer Johnston, and Dylan Kuntsi. Then, The Coral Explorers comprised of Theo, Gil, Brinley and Emily, mentored by Manitoulin Metal members Kiki Lynch, Xander Thompson and Jack Hartin.
Emcee Nevaeh Harper then welcomed the crowd and introduced the festival director, Caroline Black, who shared her excitement about the day’s events. She emphasized the hard work and creativity that teams had put into their projects, exploring ocean layers and developing their models.
The “Submerged” theme of this year’s festival challenged teams to dive into the mysteries of the ocean, using their LEGO models to simulate underwater exploration. These themed festivals have been happening all over the world, starting in 1998.
Teams then prepared for presentations to the reviewers, Manitoulin Metal members Robyn-Ashley McNaughton, Amara Wilson-Zegil and Alexandra Wilson-Zegil. This was The Coral Explorers and Crushers time to show off their code, LEGO models, and posters, similar to a science fair presentation. Along with their physical materials, teams were evaluated on their teamwork, problem solving and learning.
Following presentations, teams participated in coding challenges where they attempted to code a LEGO robot to navigate a maze on the floor. Using the skills learned in the past weeks, teams had to code the robots in 10 minutes to earn points.
During the closing ceremony, Nevaeh Harper congratulated the teams on their 12 weeks of dedication, learning and problem-solving. She thanked the sponsors and volunteers, pointing out their role in the team’s and the festival’s success.
Volunteers Xander Thompson and Samuel Pennings received the Volunteer Award for their outstanding service, presented to them by Volunteer Organizer and Manitoulin Metal Lead Mentor, Yana Bauer. Team awards were also presented, with the Crushers winning the Inquiring Minds Award for their innovative solutions and the Coral Explorers receiving the Core Values Award for their exemplary teamwork and inclusion. Every child left with a 3D-printed medal and personalized certificate to remember their accomplishments by.
The festival concluded with a final dance party, leaving participants with lasting memories of a day filled with fun. The kids are hoping to attend North Bay’s festival in March to share the robots they created with more FLL Explore teams. Parent, child and volunteer interviews from the festival will be published on Manitoulin Metal’s podcast, “BEEyond Robotics,” available on several streaming platforms.
by Alexandra Wilson-Zegil
