Look beneath the funny hats, crazy team names, screaming cheers, and LEGO robots rolling through their missions and Adele Beauchene says she can see her sixth graders learning some real lessons in engineering and science.
And so Beauchene, who directs talented and gifted programs for the Nevada Community School District, said she’s happy to bring her team of seven middle schoolers (they call themselves the “Totally Awesome Green Beans”) to the Iowa FIRST LEGO League Championship.
The statewide championship will feature 72 teams of 9- to 14-year-olds. They’ll be in action from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at Iowa State University’s College of Engineering. They’ll show judges what they’ve learned by running robots through missions, solving a problem and demonstrating core values such as “coopertition.” All the lessons focus on this year’s “Food Factor” theme, a study of what it takes to get food safely from field to table.
Championship HQ will be Iowa State’s Howe Hall. The event is free and open to the public.