WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR LEGO COMPETITION
Local middle school students competed Nov. 22 in the fifth annual FIRST LEGO League Challenge, "Mission Mars," at Old Dominion University.
The challenge gave students the chance to experience a futuristic visit to the red planet and explore the Martian landscape with visions of colonization. Using LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics technology, teams of students attempted to solve Mars exploration challenges inspired by the very same challenges NASA engineers face today. Some 17 teams in two divisions � ages 9-11 and 12-14 � competed at ODU, joining more than 4,200 teams from 48 states and 12 countries in competitions nationwide.
For a complete listing of FIRST LEGO League State Tournaments, local qualifiers and programs, visit www.usfirst.org and go to the FIRST Jr. Robotics section.
Hampton Roads Regional LEGO League Tournament
1st Place Robot Performance
Div. I: Chesapeake Legonauts, Greenbrier Intermediate School, Chesapeake
Div. II: Southampton Indians, Southampton Middle School, Courtland, Va.
2nd Place Robot Performance
I: The Craters, S.P. Morton Elementary School, Franklin, Va.
II: Old Saints, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Suffolk
Robot Design Award
I: Chesapeake Legonauts, Greenbrier Intermediate School, Chesapeake
II: Old Saints, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy
Research Presentation Award
I: The Craters, S.P. Morton Elementary School
II: New Saints, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy
Teamwork Award:
I: Beach Birds, Indian Lakes Elementary School, Virginia Beach
II: Planet Surfers, Chesapeake Bay Academy, Virginia Beach
Rookie Award: TechnoWizards, Windsor Middle School, Windsor, Va.
Against All Odds Award: Houston Hawks, Boys and Girls Clubs of Hampton Roads
Coach/Mentor Award: Blank Pages, Home School
Outstanding Volunteer: Old Dominion University , for co-hosting the tournaments and providing the facilities, judges and other volunteer work.
Judge's Award: Erkellettes, Page Middle School, Gloucester, Va.
The following teams qualified for the State Tournament to be held December 7th in Blacksburg:
I: The Craters, S.P. Morton Elementary School
Chesapeake Legonauts, Greenbrier Intermediate School
II: Old Saints, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy
Southampton Indians, Southampton Middle School
New Saints, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy
Erkellettes, Page Middle School
Panthers, Home School