MANITOULIN—Manitoulin Island not only had the majority of the teams entered in the First Lego League Sudbury qualifying competition held in Sudbury this past Saturday, but the seven Island and area teams fared very well at the competition.
“Without our seven Island teams taking part there would have been no competition (a total of 14 teams took part, seven from the Island area),” said Margit Alberti, mentor and coach of two teams in this competition, one being the Central Manitoulin Public School team and the Assiginack Township team.
“Our Assiginack Township team (‘The Blackbirds’), which is made up of elementary students in Grades 5/6 and 7, won the Innovation Project Award at the competition,” said Ms. Alberti. “And this team also finished in the top three in the robotics part of the competition, putting together a project that included a multi-generational complex with senior housing and condos, including a kitchen, complex, space for medical specialists and personal support workers, cafeteria and a pool. It was in the area by the Assiginack arena and the race track in Manitowaning, with the track to be used for seniors for exercise therapy with a cover over the area, and to heat it using geo-thermal energy and a solar energy powered cover with solar panels.”
Members of the Assiginack Township team included Xavier Mara, Sebastian Mara, Ryan Kuntsi, Dylan Kuntsi, Tanner Leblanc, Ayden Hartley and Javier Salas-Cooper and mini-mentor Tomasa Salas-Cooper.
Two Charles C. McLean Public School teams took part in the competition.
“I coached the Mecha Martens team (made up of students in Grades 4 to 7), and they had a pretty good day, winning two awards,” said C.C. McLean teacher and coach Ray Scott.
He pointed out that while they won awards, the team did not qualify for the provincial competition.
“Our team won the Spirit Award in recognition of how our teams reflect the values of the First Lego League competition environment, based on members of the teams’ interactions with the many judges and different tasks they had to complete,” said Mr. Scott. “There were lots of great teams competing so it was very flattering to win the global innovation award, which allows us to apply to go on to the next level of the innovation competition.”
The Mecha Martens team included Athena Gravelle, Hailey Wadge, Brynn Best, Henry Harten, Tegan Oliver, Ruby Niemi, Ezra Diebolt, Noah Walker, Maryam Aliagan and Amara Wilson-Zegil.
Mr. Scott explained the team’s project was “heating sidewalks in the winter using methane gas; using garbage as an energy source, making them (sidewalks) safer in the ice and snow of winter. What the students invented is not new; they took existing things existing and presented then in a new way.”
“Another nice thing that happened is that in four areas of the competition, our team received callbacks from the judges on three of the four variations (tasks or components each team takes part in as part of the competition). There are two sets of judges, and after the morning competition they pick the top three and have the second set of judges look at a project as well. Our team being called back on three of four was a pleasant surprise. But the kids presented themselves very well and the judges liked they information and how they conveyed it, and worked together.”
The Mecha Martens also won the Global Innovation Award for their project. “One of the reasons the judges thought so much of the project and the students work, was not only because of their idea, but they asked probing questions and the students were able to present their answers very well, having done all the work and research themselves. The kids help up very well.”
“Even when things did not go very well on the robot table, the students didn’t lose their cool; in fact, they held a group meeting in the middle of the competition,” said Mr. Scott. “They are a special group of kids that build each other and work as a team to problem-solve. I am very proud of how they carried themselves.”
With so much interest from students wanting to be part of the Lego team, a second team, the ‘Colts Connectors’ was established at C.C. McLean this year.
“We basically took all the kids that were interested in being on a robotics team at the school, and added another team,” said coach Bruce Lindsay. He pointed out his team did particularly well in the robotics competition. “The students were at the robot missions table five times, with the first being a practice round and the next four taking in a team’s best score. Our kids did very well in this competition and the other components. We ended up seventh or eighth in the robotics events.”
The ‘Colts Connectors’ included Lily Main, Jack Hartin, Lucas Laquerre, Ronan Bentley, Rylan Lock, Sydney Pfeiffer, Shae Dickson, Jeff Harper, Jaci Olson-Ewart and Madison Manfred.
The CMPS Eagles team “did a great project, and were excellent at the robotics table,” stated Ms. Alberti. “They showed how well they can work together in a game situation, and how to explain why they built the robot the way they did and programming and design. Our team ended up in the top five in programming for robotics.”
The CMPS Eagles team included Samuel Pennings, John Thirkill, Connor McArthur, Kyle Zenbal and Venzel Fowler.
Shawanosowe School (Birch Island) also had two teams in the competition. Teacher and coach John Spanos told the Recorder, “we were a rookie team this year; this was our first time being in this competition. Chris Mara of Wiikwemkoong had come to the school and helped us set up, and the students had a lot of fun with it.”
“It was great to see the students working together to solve problems, and especially having to do this in front of judges,” said Mr. Spanos. He explained the teams’ projects focused on recycling batteries and eyeglasses, repurposing them to help take care of the land, water and fish.
A total of 15 Shawonosowe students took part, breaking up into the two teams made up of students from Grades 4 to 6. They included Dakota Crowe, Tecumseh Paibomsai-Howell, Rory Bowerman, Lucy Paibomsai, Violet Puddicombe, Soleil Petawanakwat, Nakia Nahwegahbow, Ella Recollet, Mephis Shawanda, Melody Hester and Kylie Shawanda.
“My kids are already saying they want to go in again next year,” Mr. Spanos told the Recorder.
“When I walked away at the end of the competition, I was thinking every child, parent and judge in the place is a winner,” stated Mr. Spanos. “I have been a teacher for 15 years and this was the first time I have ever felt like that before. The students had to undergo a steep learning curve, think outside the box and all teams did this very well. It was a win-win situation for everyone.”
