by Michael Erskine
SUDBURY—There were 14 teams who took part in the Sudbury District FIRST Lego League qualifying tournament held Saturday, December 14 in the cavern at Sudbury’s Science North. Half of those teams participating in the tournament hail from Manitoulin and, and while the organizers say it is a win just to show up, the Island teams took home a number of prestigious awards.
There were two teams from Gore Bay, one from Wiikwemkoong, two from Shawanosowe School in Whitefish River First Nation, one from Central Manitoulin Public School (CMPS) and one from Assiginack. (Assiginack Public School is not large enough to supply enough team members to form a team, so the Assiginack effort was a town initiative headed up by Chris Mara. A teacher in the Wiikwemkoong system and a mentor for many of the teams who earned the moniker “Mr. Robotics” according to a number of the parents, teachers and volunteers involved in the project.
“The Manitoulin teams did really well,” said Mr. Mara, “Assiginack took first place for Innovative Project and second for Robot Design.”
“The Gore Bay (Charles C. McLean) team was amazing,” said Mr. Mara, “and the Central Manitoulin Public School team were always strong at the table.”
“Chris and I have worked very hard to give youth something other than hockey,” said CMPS mentor Margit Alberti. “It has been a lot of work for all of the mentors. We have been so fortunate that so many people have stepped up to help.”
The teams were fiercely competitive, or perhaps more appropriately “co-opertitive,” a term Ms. Alberti used to describe the students’ approach. She gave an example of a point in the competition when Shawanosowe School was struggling. “I said ‘Shawanosowe needs help’,” she recalled. Her entire CMPS team got up and crossed over to the other side of the field unbidden to lend a hand where they could.
While the CMPS team was comprised of all boys, Ms. Alberti noted that many of the teams had a strong female contingent, reflecting perhaps ongoing efforts to encourage young women to consider careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. “I would say the mix was about 35-65 (girls to boys),” she said.
The CMPS Eagles team included Samuel Pennings, John Thirkill, Connor McArthur, Kyle Zenbal and Venzel Fowler. The team’s strong effort placed them in the top five in programming for robotics.
“We had such strong Island participation,” said Gore Bay mentor/teacher Ray Scott. “I counted seven from the Island.”
The experienced Gore Bay 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. There was so much interest in the competition this year that Charles C. McLean fielded a second team, the Colts Connectors, which included Lily Main, Jack Hartin, Lucas Laquerre, Ronan Bentley, Rylan Lock, Sydney Pfeiffer, Shae Dickson, Jeff Harper, Jaci Olson-Ewart and Madison Manfred.
The Mecha Martens won the Global Innovation Award for their project, which allows the team to apply for the next level of the innovation competition. The team also won the Team Spirit Award.
“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 who build each other and work as a team to problem-solve. I am very proud of how they carried themselves.”
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.
There were a total of 15 Shawanosowe students made up of students from Grade 4 to Grade 6, including Dakota Crowe, Tecumseh Paibomsai-Howell, Rory Bowerman, Lucy Paibomsai, Violet Puddicombe, Soleil Pitawanakwat, Nakia Nahwegahbow, Ella Recollet, Memphis Shawanda, Melody Hester and Kylie Shawanda.
“When I walked away at the end of the competition, I was thinking, every child, parent and judge in the place is a winner,” said Shawanosowe teacher 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.”
