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Students excel at 4-H Robotics showcase

Twenty-five teams of middle-school students from DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties displayed their technical, creative and teamwork skills during the 4-H Robotics Box Bot Showcase in Elgin March 22.

Throughout the afternoon, 4-H'ers showcased their Lego Mindstorm robots in creativity, table performance, and technical categories. They also completed a teamwork challenge without their Bots. The event was led by 4-H Robotics Team got robot?, which competes at the FIRST Tech Challenge level, and was hosted by University of Illinois Extension at Abbott Middle School in Elgin.

The 2014 4-H Robotics Box Bot Showcase Championship went home with Trinity Trailblazers Team White of DuPage County. Reserve Champion honors went to Creepy Pasta from Abbott Middle School in Elgin, and Herrick Middle School Team No. 3, of Downers Grove.

"Everybody's a winner because they completed their robots, participated in this fantastic opportunity and learned from their experience. Plus, it's fun!" said Donna Nuger, University of Illinois extension educator, 4-H Youth Development. "Seeing all the hard work and creativity come to life in the eyes of the kids and in the maneuvers of their Bots is just awesome."

Other top awards Saturday included: Most Creative to Team Spirit of O'Neill Middle School in Downers Grove, the Engineering Design Award to Robot Rovers of Bryan Middle School in Elmhurst; the Programming Award to Brick Force of Yorkville; the Teamwork Award to Team JT of O'Neill Middle School; the Team Spirit Award to A.I.M of Sandburg Middle School in Elmhurst; the Judges' Award to Churchville Middle School Team Purple, Elmhurst; the Rookie Award to Trinity Trailblazers Team Green of DuPage County; and Best Table Performance to Trinity Trailblazers Team White.

All participating teams are encouraged to participate in the sixth annual State 4-H Robotics Competition on May 3, said Extension Educator Bob Smith, who leads the Illinois 4-H Robotics program. The state event is designed to provide 4-H members an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of programming, robot and field design, and teamwork, he said.

"The great thing about Saturday's event is our local teams have now experienced a competition format and received helpful feedback from qualified judges," Nuger said. "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 Saturday. It's about where you end up from learning and doing."

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

"I like hands-on projects," said Moriah Stefanski of the Champion Trinity Trailblazers Team White. "It was so much more fun than I expected because we got to do it and learn it ourselves."

Meg VanDyke, teacher and coach for O'Neill Middle School, stresses that to her teams as well. "It's about teamwork, problem solving and figuring things out," she said. "I'm not here to do it for them, but to encourage and guide them."

One of her students, Haley Gray, said that's part of the fun. However, there's also a lot of work. Her all-female team, Gear Huggers, met every day, twice a day, to design, program, test, tweak and prepare their Box Bot and mat for competition.

Gray said she was attracted to the project because of her love of Legos. "We're all kind of geeky," she said of her all-female team Gear Huggers. "We like Legos, WALL-E and Transformers."

The latter of which inspired the "look" of their Bot, she added.

Yorkville Brick Force member Ryder Berry, 11, said he was grateful for the opportunity to do something like this.

"It's a different type of experience and competition that a lot of people don't do," said Berry, who also is involved in sports and music. "I like designing things, playing with Legos and building, and this is a good opportunity for kids who like these things. Plus, robots are cool!"

Brick Force teammate Jason Wilcox, 13, of Yorkville, enjoyed bringing his previous computer and robotics experience to the team and helping teach other members about programming.

"This is my first time in 4-H, and I really like robotics and computers," he said. "Today's been fun and we're learning and working together."

For Abbott Middle School student Andrew Haberstitch, 14, the experience also fits his career aspirations.

"I want to build robots for the military so people can be safer on the front-line," he said. "This is teaching me about robots, programming and building."

Like Haberstitch, many 4-H'ers find a passion or pursue a career aspiration through 4-H.

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 our mentoring team got robot? which helped organize and run the event," said Nuger. "We are so grateful for the outstanding leadership and service from got robot? members, families and coaches. We also extend our appreciation to 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.

Members of Yorkville's Brick Force Team watch as their robot makes successful maneuvers during the table portion of the competition at the 2014 4-H Robotics Showcase at Abbott Middle School in Elgin. The "rookie" team, which includes 20 youth from Yorkville schools, took home the Programming Award. Courtesy of University of Illinois Extension
Eighth-grader Haley Gray of O'Neill Middle School's "Gear Hugger" team anxiously watches her team's robot conduct a task during a table run on Saturday. Courtesy of University of Illinois Extension
Trinity Trailblazers Team White poses with their robot and mat following their technical judging session. The team went on to earn the Champion honors, as well as the Best Table Performance Award. Courtesy of University of Illinois Extension
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