Orchard Hills Robotics Team to Compete Sunday in CT FIRST Lego League Championships

By Kathryn Bonetti, Milford Public Schools spokeswoman

MILFORD – A team of eight students from Orchard Hills Elementary School will compete in the Connecticut FIRST* Lego League Championships in Shelton on Sunday, Dec. 7th.

The team earned a spot at the state-level event after they filed a top performance at the qualifying event held in mid-November at the Elm City Robo Fest in New Haven.

The students have been working together since July. FIRST is a non-profit organization that aspires to transform culture by making science, math, engineering, and technology ‘cool.’ Several programs are conducted under the FIRST ‘umbrella’ – including the FIRST Lego League, intended for students in grades 4 – 8 working in teams of up to 10 students. Students at this level are asked to build and then work with a small Lego robot that they learn to program.

The robot is expected to autonomously accomplish a series of various tasks during a robot game (as assigned by FLL competition officials). Depending on the type of task and conducted on an official playing surface, the robot may have to push a door open, press a button, swing to the side, insert a key into a slot, or collect spring-type loops – among many other types of tasks.

All movements and sequences must be precise – and the students, themselves, must figure out how to make the robot achieve the objectives. In addition to robotic tasks, the students conduct a research project in answer to an annual question, posed by FLL officials.

This year’s assignment asked students to “improve the way people learn about” any topic they chose. The Orchard Hills team decided to pursue the world of astronomy and used their research to propose an electronic game that would help kids learn about stars, constellations, and the universe more easily.

The research project is presented as a skit, involving all members of the team. Parent organizers Loriann and Kristopher Seluga, both MIT grads, had been searching for an activity they could integrate into the school setting that incorporated facets of technology, math, and engineering – while still being considered fun for kids.

Kris came across the FIRST Lego League materials online and believed this could provide a match. They, along with their children, went to an exhibition in Stamford, thought the event was fantastic, but noticed there were no teams from Milford. They presented a proposal to the Orchard Hills PTA to start a team and received overwhelming support.

Students attend the program after-school once a week and, after having a healthy snack, they get to work. Some work on the computer to refine their programming techniques, some work on research for their project presentation, and some handle the robot as they test their new calculations. The startup cost of the program was $1,200 – but Lori explains some of the costs have been underwritten by the school’s PTA. In future years, the robot kit will be reused and the annual cost will be less than $500.

At the qualifying round in November, the Orchard Hills squad (named the Masterminds) competed against eight other teams in the region. The team was awarded the Champion’s Award – the top prize in the tournament – which puts equal weight on the robot’s design, research project, and their core values (teamwork).

They also received the Robot Performance Award at the event. These awards made the team eligible for the CT FIRST Lego League Championships that will be held this weekend at Shelton High School. Lori Seluga was pleased with the first year run for the Masterminds and hopes to see more STEM opportunities for students in the school district.

“We would love to see more FLL teams in Milford and would be happy to help anyone interested in starting a team. Watching the students try potential solutions, learn and adapt, and then see their pride when they resolve a challenging task is such a rewarding experience.” Dr. Elizabeth Feser, Superintendent of Schools visited the students during one of their practice runs in mid-November and was pleased to see this project in action. “It is so exciting to see students engaged in problem solving that demands the integration of math, science, engineering and technology. That the students had to utilize public speaking skills is powerful as well. I thank Mr. and Mrs. Seluga for organizing this activity and coaching the team of students. The time and guidance they gave to the team made the difference. I thank also the Orchard Hills PTA for helping to finance the program.”

If You’d Like to Go: the CT FLL Championships will be held on Sunday, Dec. 7th at Shelton High School in Shelton. The tournament is open to the public and there is no admission cost. The Opening Ceremony begins at 9:00 a.m.; tournament rounds begin at 9:30 a.m. and continue throughout the day.

Award presentations and the closing ceremony will be held at 4:00 p.m. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a multinational non-profit organization, founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen – the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter. FIRST was founded on partnerships with businesses, educational institutions and governmental agencies.

Major global sponsors include National Instruments, 3M, Lego, and Rockwell Automation. It is estimated that more than 265,000 young people from more than 80 countries around the world participate in FIRST programming. Connecticut currently has 187 teams in place. For more information about FIRST, please visit their global website at www.usfirst.org or you may visit the Connecticut FIRST website at http://fllshelton.shsrobotics.org.

The Orchard Hills Masterminds team includes (front, l to r): Isaiah Moore, Joseph Gaetano, David Gaetano, Sean Ayoub; (back, l to r): Jordan Hines, Nathaniel Seluga, Justin Gentallan and Violet Wilson.