Herrick Team Wins Reserve Honors at 4-H Robotics Challenge

Submitted by University of Illinois Extension.

Twenty-nine teams of middle-school students from DuPage, Kane and Kendall Counties displayed their technical and teamwork skills during the Third Annual 4-H Robotics SportBot Challenge and Robotics Showcase in Elgin on Saturday, April 11.

J-Cubed + N of Herrick Middle School in Downers Grove won Reserve Champion honors in the competition. Herrick students on J-Cubed + N were Julia McGuire, Josh Woods, Jeremy Blumka, and Nina Ghanayem.

The Outliers of Herrick Middle School also came away with the Teamwork Award.

Throughout the afternoon, 4-H’ers showcased their Lego Mindstorm robots in creativity, table performance, and technical categories. They also completed a teamwork challenge. The event was led by 4-H Robotics Team Blue Box Bots, which competes at the FIRST Tech Challenge level, and was hosted by Illinois 4-H and University of Illinois Extension at Abbott Middle School in Elgin.

U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) attended and spoke at the event, recognizing the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and Illinois 4-H programs, local school districts, and the many teams, volunteers and families.

“Illinois Robotics is such an important program,” said Hultgren. “Every single one of you are winning by being a part of this program – learning, growing and, maybe the most exciting thing for me, is the cooperation. We’re seeing so many of the older teams take other, younger teams under their wings, saying, ‘You can do this. We believe in you.’”

Hultgren, who serves on the Science, Space and Technology Committee, has been a strong proponent of STEM programs, including Illinois 4-H Robotics and FIRST. His son, Kole, participated in the event as part of the Fox Formers team from Kendall County.

“I am so glad we could all be part of this as a family as well as a member of Congress who believes so strongly in what you are doing,” Hultgren said to the crowd. “I do believe this is something important, and that it’s not just something to do, but incredible preparation for each and every one of you.”

For this year’s SportBot challenge, each team designed an Olympic-themed field, chose a country to represent and built and programmed a team of robots to earn points for completing various athletic events.

Saturday’s Grand Championship went to the Trinity Trailblazers Team of DuPage County for the second year. The team of 10- to 13-year-olds included Thomas Bennett, Elizabeth Berberich, Joseph Couri, Alex Ford, Aidan Groppe, Katie Groppe, Sarah Jerecki, Paul Kalapala, Eliyah Stefanski, and Kyle Tutt, was led by coaches Laura Bennett and John Groppe. The team also won the Best Table Performance Award.

Reserve Champion honors also went to Sandburg Yellow of Sandburg Middle School in Elmhurst. Sandburg Yellow team members were: Alex Birnbaum, Jason Butterfield, Luke Cunningham, Chris Janickas, Eric Seidenfuss, Nick Wheeler, Joey Gemini, Will Johnson, Luke Rodgers and Sam Rodgers.

The Programming Award went to the Fox Formers 4-H Club of Kendall County, represented at the event by Riley Benning, Logan Foster and Kole Hultgren. The group is coached by Russ Benning and Darcy Tellone.

Other top awards Saturday included: the Team Spirit Award to Ellis Robotic Eagles Team 1 of Ellis Middle School, Elgin; the Rookie Award to Ellis Robotic Eagles Team 2 of Elgin; the Most Creative Award to the TerrorBytes 4-H Club of Kane County; the Programming Award to the Fox Formers 4-H Club of Kendall County; the Engineering Design Award to Venomous Nerds of Tefft Middle School, Streamwood; and the Judges’ Choice Award to The Shrekoning of Tefft Middle School.

“Every team worked hard and every team learned from their experiences and from the other teams. Plus, it’s fun!” said Donna Nuger, University of Illinois Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development. “Seeing all the time and creativity come to life with this Olympic-style challenge really showcases the technical and life skills the youth learn through this platform.”

All participating teams are encouraged to participate in the 7th Annual State 4-H Robotics Competition on May 2 in Champaign. The state event is designed to provide Illinois teams an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of programming, robot and field design, and teamwork.

“The great thing about Saturday’s event is our local teams have now experienced a competition format and received helpful feedback from qualified judges,” said Nuger. “We hope many of our teams choose to go to state, using this experience to learn, adjust and move forward. It’s not about how you finished in the competition. It’s about where you end up from learning and doing.”

That is a key tenant of 4-H: Learning by Doing.

According to a Tufts University study, 4-H’ers are nearly two times more likely to pursue a career in science, engineering, or computer technology, and they are five times more likely to graduate from college.

In addition, because of 4-H activities, 93 percent of Illinois 4-H youth surveyed said they are encouraged to help others. This may be through community service, volunteerism, citizenship or leadership activities, said Nuger.

“This component was embodied Saturday, and in the weeks of planning, by mentoring team Blue Box Bots which helped organize and run the event,” said Nuger. “We are so grateful for the outstanding leadership and service from the members, families and coaches. We also extend our appreciation to Kane County 4-H team and FTC team ‘got robot?,’ and all the volunteers, participants, coaches, families and special guests for making this event a resounding success. 4-H is truly about community.”

4-H Youth Development programs include 4-H Clubs, Learning Enrichment, and other Youth Outreach activities. These positive youth development programs provide opportunities for youth to feel a sense of belonging, develop independence, practice generosity, and experience mastery. For more information on the 4-H program in your county, visit web.extension.illinois.edu/dkk/.

University of Illinois Extension provides educational programs and research-based information to help Illinois residents improve their quality of life, develop skills and solve problems.

ALSO ON PATCH