By Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Marshall Middle School’s robotics team, Future Innovative Robotics Engineers, or F.I.R.E., brought the heat during the regional qualifier of the Florida First LEGO League Dec. 8, at Sleepy Hill Middle School, in Lakeland.
F.I.R.E. placed as the overall winner out of 15 teams.
“We were ecstatic,” teacher and coach Penny Reeves said. “I’m very proud of the kids. We worked very well together.”
The competition required team members to complete a variety of maneuvers with their robots, Wobbles and Waddles. In addition, they had to complete a question-and-answer portion and devise a project that would help solve a problem senior citizens face.
After talking with a senior citizen, who mentioned problems with picking things up off the ground, the team built the “The Cripper,” a cane/gripper hybrid. Each student made a prototype of “The Cripper” and then collaborated on which design they liked best.
F.I.R.E. also competed in a core values challenge, during which teams were given balloons, straws, paper and a bag and had to make the tallest item they could in three minutes. They couldn’t touch the items themselves and instead had to tell their coaches, Reeves and Jessica Wallen, how to stack the items. The coaches could not talk.
Seventh-grader Destiny Cox’s favorite part of the competition is core values.
“That’s where we show people that we can work together as a team,” Cox said.
“Yes they have a lot of challenges, but it’s mainly about how they work together,” Reeves said. “Everybody’s ideas are included.”
Teams also are judged on professionalism, which includes sportsmanship, handling pressure gracefully and working as a team.
“All the kids have strength in different areas,” Reeves said. “Some are strong at robot programming. Some are good at research. We had to present information in a skit, so some are good actors. Each is part of a whole.”
The team grew out of a robotics elective class Reeves has taught for three years. Cox first took an interest in the team after her brother participated in the club.
“It looked interesting,” Cox said. “Seeing all those robots, how they’re built, they’re very technical and complex.”
The team is competing at another qualifying tournament Jan. 5, even though they already have made it to regionals.
“It’s more of an opportunity for the kids to practice, compete again and meet some of the teams,” Reeves said.
F.I.R.E. went to the state championships last year and won the Inspiration Award.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
TEAM MEMBERS
Robbie Burdette
Destiny Cox
Russell Espinal
Anthony Johnson
Frank Mohedano
Hannah Prophet
Hannah Spivey