Coronado Middle School Robotics had a stellar showing at the First Lego League (FLL) Robotics Competition at Mission Bay High School on Saturday, November 4. Led by Robotics Coach and founder of the CMS Robotics program Roberta Lenert and NASA Engineer Pete Waydo, five CMS teams participated in the all-day event, competing against schools from across the county. In this first competition of the 2023/2024 Season, the Tritons showcased their talents and teamwork as four teams advance to regionals after winning their team competitions.
1st place Robot Design went to the Island Engineers.
1st Place Robot Game went to Triton Tribe who also were the 2nd place overall champions.
1st Place Project went to Robo Royalty
and 1st Place Team Spirit was awarded to the Robo Tritons
Coach Lenert said “Our teams were so prepared going into this qualifying competition. Normally we do a week of competition prep and this year we did three full weeks of competition prep. Our teams are so committed and put in so much time and effort. It is extremely impressive! Not only have the teams put in more hours in the robotic lab but they are practicing at home on competition tables nights and weekends.”
The FLL Top Mentor Award went to CMS Robotics Mentor, Mayor Richard Bailey. Bailey recently visited with the team as they prepared for the competition and said, “I had the opportunity to join CMS Robotics Coach Roberta Lenert and the dozens of students creating robots for competition in the LEGO League. Students learn basic coding skills, team work, and problem solving. This year, the Robotics program expanded to the high school so several high school students serve as mentors to the middle schoolers. This is really a remarkable program helping inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.”
CMS LEGO Robotics is offered through the Coronado Unified School District and funded by the Coronado Schools Foundation (CSF). “CMS Robotics program is such a huge success because of the amazing support from CUSD, CSF, City of Coronado, our sponsors, coaches, mentors and our community. It takes a Village and ours is amazing!” said Lenert. Through their sponsors: Amazon, Qualcomm, DoDEA, High Tide, Mullins Orthodontics and CSF, and the City of Coronado grant, CMS Robotics has been able to provide two robots per team, extra computers for coding, three Prusas 3D printers, an engineering lab, a project lab and fees for competitions.
When asked what comes next, Coach Lenert said, “The goal for the year is to make it to the Worlds competition! I know our teams have their sight set on the biggest competition of First Lego League which is Worlds, but we know we have to get past regionals and state first. Their eyes are definitely on the prize, and they know it is going to take a lot of teamwork, dedication, and extensive hours in the lab to accomplish. We are so lucky to have so many amazing mentors and coaches helping our teams strive for success!”
According to their website, “FIRST® LEGO® League introduces science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to children ages 4-16 through fun, exciting hands-on learning. Participants gain real-world problem solving experience through a guided, global robotics program, helping today’s students and teachers build a better future together. Our three divisions inspire youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills through hands-on STEM learning and robotics.”
