A group of Chimacum fifth and sixth graders under the leadership of teachers Josette Mendoza and Kristen Johnson are taking up the challenges in the FIRST LEGO League robotics competition.

Josette, Kristen and nine of the students involved made a presentation describing their efforts at Rotary last week.

Dean Kamen invented the Segway personal transportation unit as well as the “IBOT,” a powered wheelchair that uses gyroscopic technology to provide multiple operating modes. He also founded “FIRST,” (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a nonprofit organization intended to build students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM.

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is the owner of the LEGO Group who joined with dean in 1998 to create the FIRST LEGO League, a powerful program engaging children in playful and meaningful learning while helping them discover the fun in science and technology. 

The Chimacum students presented the core values of the program: Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork and Fun.

You know these kids are serious about the program because they even have T-shirts indicating they are the “Cyber Eagles.” The students are Hank Johnson, Sophie Ellis, Molly Boltinghouse, Paycen Terada, Cooper Thacker, Vaughn Whitlatch, Clara Lorenzen, Angie Luckhurst and Landon Rosback.

Each one of the students presented a portion of the work they are doing, which culminated in robots built of Legos able to perform various maneuvers on a large table. 

The nine students are part of a group of almost 30 involved in the program at Chimacum. There are three programs available through the league dedicated to inspiring youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills through hands-on STEM learning and robotics.

As the students described how they changed the programs in the LEGO robots “on the fly” to perform different tasks, I was reminded of the early days of the development of my own meager computer skills. In the summer of 1967, it took a couple of days and at least that many pages of computer code for me to get 2+2 to equal 4 on an IBM 7090 whilst I was an IBM trainee in Detroit. (That was also the summer of the riots, but that’s another story.) 

The FIRST LEGO League competition season runs from the beginning of school in September through November. Chimacum hosted the first ever regional competition on the Olympic Peninsula last December, sending three teams to the event. Two of the teams went on to the semi-finals to compete against 30 other teams in Covington. The finals were in Seattle.  

The Chimacum School District has reported significant student achievements over the past couple of years and their success can be laid at the feet of teachers like Josette and Kristin. Their dedication to encouraging and supporting the development of the skills necessary to navigate the challenges of a changing world are to be commended, not to mention the perseverance of a cadre of fifth and sixth graders and their parents. Congratulations to all.

I am reminded of a quote ascribed to Pete Seeger. “Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get when you don’t.”

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week!

Contact Ned at ned@ptleader.com.