Omak Lego Robotics Teamwork Pays Off

By Julene Cole

Omak Church communication leader

Omak Adventist Christian School's Team Terabyte received the top three awards at the NPUC Lego Robotics Qualifying Tournament, including the First Place Champion’s award.

The February 27 event, held at Auburn Adventist Academy in Auburn, Washington, earned Team Terabyte an invitation to participate at the national Adventist Robotics FIRST LEGO League Challenge Championship in Apoka, Florida. 

Team Terabyte members, Jesse Read, a seventh-grader, and Jaden Skelton, sixth-grader, spent six months preparing for their win.

Each year, Lego Robotics teams throughout the U.S. prepare to accomplish three tasks at the tournament. First, they design and program their Lego robots to be able to complete many different missions within the short space of 2.5 minutes. The second objective is to design a solution to an assigned real-world problem. And third, they share a presentation about their solution to a panel of judges.

The robots don’t always perform perfectly, and there are many problems to solve. But, as Read explained, good things can come from determined effort over time.

“Last year, we didn’t score as high at the meet," said Read. "But all the learning we did that year was one of the reasons we were able to [get the Champion’s award] this year, and be invited to nationals.”

All this learning is why Jennifer Hoffpauir, OACS teacher and Robotics Team sponsor, goes the extra mile for her students. “Watching team members gain useful life skills, such as problem-solving, teamwork and creativity, is a joy, she said. "Team members gain confidence when things go well, and resilience when things don’t go as planned."

The two team members are excited to travel and meet others from across the country who are also interested in Lego Robotics. Each of them are excited to take their experience to the next level. Participating in Lego Robotics translates into life experience that will help them gain skills and confidence for their future. 

This article originally appeared on the nwadventists.org website.