LFCDS Robotics Team Heads to State

Lego robotic teams at Lake Forest Country Day School have made a community impact while working on their projects this year and one team’s success has shown in their qualification for the state tournament this weekend.

The program’s theme this year, according to Mark Arthur, head of the Upper School Science Department, was about teaching people something that would help them.

“Some teams taught the elderly how to Skype while others wrote and published original children’s books about leukemia that were delivered to Lurie’s Hospital in Chicago,” said Arthur, who leads the robotics program at the school - a member of the First Lego League (FLL).

LFCDS hosted a regional competition on December 6, welcoming 11 teams from other Lake County Schools to join the Boogie Monsters, Colorful Characters, Healthy Hippos, Cake 4 Kids, Squeaky Fresh, Techno Mice and Techno Elders (LFCDS teams - consisting of fifth through eighth graders) for a competition that would focus on teamwork, presentation and robotics (building robots that can perform various tasks).

Since STEM is a big thing on the North Shore, it was no surprise the event gathered more than 400 attendees.

“We had over 85 volunteers for one day,” Arthur said. “The event was attended by everyone from engineers and doctors to those working at hardware stores. They were all helping. It was wonderful to see adults work together for the betterment of the kids.”

In addition to excelling in STEM (science technology engineering math), LFCDS boasts a strong STEAM (science technology engineering arts math) program as well. In STEAM, the ‘art’ allows for creativity and some of the marketing components that come into play during the robotics projects.

To put an exclamation mark on a successful competition, the Healthy Hippos, one of LFCDS’ teams, scored high enough in all three areas to earn them a spot in the FLL’ Illinois State Championship tournament - set to take place this Saturday (January 17) at Elgin Community College.

“The Healthy Hippos came together despite an absence of a key team member,” said Lee Johnson, LFCDS science instructor and co-moderator, with Arthur, of the regional qualifier. “In all three phases of the competition (presentation, teamwork, and robotics), they looked like seasoned veterans, although each participant was a rookie. The team’s project/presentation was very compelling to the judges, as the Healthy Hippos focused on teaching kids to be healthier through dietary and active choices.”

Arthur spoke for the school’s entire science department in wishing the Healthy Hippos, a team consisting of Emilio Alvarez, Scott Skinner, Eva Hanson, Chloe Morrissey, Jackson Kriger and Johanna Hielscher, great success at state.

“What I think the FLL essentially provides in final, is, the essence of teamwork, with originality, including the creative objective every year,” Alvarez said.

“We are proud of the team qualifying for the state tournament and more importantly the teamwork, ingenuity and perseverance that each team member has shown throughout the entire process,” Arthur added.

They will be one of 64 teams competing for a sole, coveted spot in the World Championships.

“I’m excited to see how the Healthy Hippos improve upon their previous successes, and I look forward to watching them learn from other excellent teams,” Johnson said, informing us of the news that the Healthy Hippos have decided to compete again as eighth graders, and that “planning for next season has already begun!”

But what Arthur will take away most from this year’s season are the projects like the one group who used Skype to help the elderly connect with loved ones and the other who sent educational materials to a children’s hospital.

“Those projects make this more than a classroom activity, more like a life lesson,” he said.

Photo 1: Healthy Hippos team picture - Front Row: Eva Hanson, Johanna Hielscher; Back Row: Scott Skinner, Emilio Alvarez, Jackson Kriger, Chloe Morrissey

Photo 2: LEGO Robotics team members from state-bound “Healthy Hippos,” Jackson Kriger and Scott Skinner, compete during the regional tournament at LFCDS.