A fixture in the Jackson Heights community is getting involved in an international competition. On Friday, December 4, teachers, parents, and students gathered in the Garden School to attend the school’s First Lego League (FLL) kick-off presentation. FLL is a contest for elementary and middle school students in which students program robots constructed out of
Legos to perform tasks.


The “Roboneers” a team comprised entirely of students from Garden, spent the evening presenting and explaining various aspects of robot design and function, as well as demonstrating what the robots are capable of by programming them through obstacle courses. “We’ve been having meetings since the summer,” Peter Glus, coach of the Roboneers, said. “The kids have put a lot of time and effort into making these robots. All the research, ideas, and creativity of their projects has come from them.”


Each year, FLL gives lego teams a real-world issue that will serve as the theme for the competition. This year’s theme is automobile safety. “This year’s theme is important because some people aren’t good drivers even though they have licenses,” remarked Roboneer Peter
Kratz, a sixth grader at Garden, during his presentation. “This competition and its theme are vital to us,” said Glus. “It’s important to our family, friends, and the community as a whole.”


With over 7,000 FLL teams worldwide and 60 in Queens, there is no shortage of competition for the young team, but the Roboneers remain optimistic. The general feeling among the team is the same no matter who is asked: “Our team rules.” Garden School is a private independent institution (Nursery through Grade 12) which has been a part of Jackson Height for over 80 years. For more information, visit Gardenschool.org or call 718-335-6363.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 at 6:50 am and is filed under News.