At the regional robotics state qualifying competition in Durango over the weekend, both the Nucla and one of the two Norwood teams earned a spot in Denver. They’ll both be traveling to compete at the state level for the Dec. 7 challenge.
Robotics coach Matthew Lagoe, representative of the Pinhead Institute, a Smithsonian Affiliate based in Telluride, told the San Miguel Basin Forum the results were very affirming. Only three of the 16 teams competing could advance to state competition, and West End schools are taking two of those spots. Ridgway has also advanced.
Lagoe works with both school teams, instructing the kids in ways to build the robots out of Legos, build the attachments that are controlled with motors, and then code them, so that the robots can turn and move things up and down. The robots have to be able to accomplish different missions.
Assisting Lagoe with the Nucla team, called the Atomic Circuit Bots, is Jeanna Jasperson, an accomplished STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — teacher, who’s retired but working in the West End for Pinhead. Kids met once a week on Fridays, or Saturdays, depending on their schedules.
Lagoe said he’s impressed by the Nucla kids’ commitment and their eagerness to learn robotics in their free time, outside of the school schedule.
The Nucla team won the robot game, and the “core values” division too. On the team are Emily Johnson, Ava Mock, Dennis O’Connell, Damara O’Connell, Jude Richardson and Braiden Weimar.
In Norwood, Lagoe with Jennie Thomas coached students — and so many that there were two teams. The Norwood kids, specifically the Lone Cone Mavericks team that’s headed to the state competition, won the award for robot design. On that team are Meadow Baker, Journey Bentler, Waylen Donnellon, Devon Fehrenbacker, Jacob Lukaszewski, Ashley Rivera-Flores, Avery Sarff, Jaxson Vasquez and Emily Wainwright.
Coach Thomas said the kids’ work was “extraordinary” and she’s definitely proud.
“I feel like those kids worked so hard,” said Thomas of her teams. “I think if we’d had more time for practices — last year we had a coach two days a week, and this year only one day a week — but the kids did so much with so little time. If they’d had more time, I can’t imagine what they’d achieve. What they didn’t perfect wasn’t for lack of trying.”
Lagoe said it’s true that Norwood kids requested more practices, something that also surprised him.
The Norwood Piranhas came in 13th place. On that team are Ember Alexander, Judah Baker, Sylvie Buckner, Gracie Dawson, Hunter Griffith, Kalibur Merrill, Elsa Romaine, Hazel Springer and Lucas Wainwright.
Lagoe said all the kids worked very hard. He wants them to all have opportunities in STEM and robotics, and he’s happy to be helping them.
“All three teams in the West Ends put in the effort,” Lagoe said. “The past two years, Nucla has been second in the robot game. It’s nice that they got first place this year.”
Representatives of Pinhead Institute added that three teams in Ouray County also competed, and one of those also qualified for state.
