LFCDS Set to Host FIRST Lego League Robotics Tournament in December

Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS) is excited to announce that it has been selected as the host of a First LEGO League (FLL) State Qualifying Competition on Saturday, December 14. Sixteen teams from Northern Lake and Cook Counties will compete in the tournament, with an attendance of 500—1,000 people expected for the one-day event.

FLL is a robotics program for 9- to 14-year-olds and is designed to get students excited about science and technology as well as teach them valuable life skills. In FLL, students program an autonomous robot (using the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robot set) to score points on a thematic playing surface as well as create an innovative solution to a problem as part of their project, all while being guided by the FLL Core Values. The Core Values act as the cornerstone of the FLL program, and teach participants that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals, and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork.

The three elements –the robot programming, the research project, and the Core Values combine to create a yearly challenge. This year’s challenge, Nature’s Fury, calls on FLL teams to research natural disasters—storms, quakes, and waves—and problem solve what can be done when intense natural events happen in the areas where people live, work, and play. Within each team, each student has a specific role that relates to one of the elements of the challenge. Each of the elements will have equal footing in the eyes of the judges.

FLL Robotics has been an integral part of the LFCDS Upper School science curriculum for many years, and the School’s passion for Robotics made it a natural choice for a tournament location. “We’ve had a long history of hosting regional tournaments, and I think the School’s facilities really make it an incredible place to have an event like this,” says Mark Arthur, Upper School science teacher and one of the main organizers of the FLL Robotics tournament at LFCDS. “We have a great group of parents in our school community that have really taken volunteerism and participation to the next level, and we’re really looking forward to this being a great experience for all the students that are taking part in this challenge.”

Approximately 130 volunteers will be needed to staff the Saturday tournament, with very specific roles that need to be filled in order for the day to be a success. LFCDS is looking for potential volunteers in the North Shore communities and beyond that may want to be part of this fun and challenging learning opportunity, specifically in regards to tournament judges, referees, timers, runners, team guides, registration attendants, and more. To learn more about the available volunteer opportunities or for additional information, visit www.lfcds.org/FLLtournament or send an email to robotics@lfcds.org.

LFCDS is a neighborhood school serving the Lake Forest community, and a regional center of excellence for early childhood, elementary, and middle school education for children ages 2 to Grade 8. For more information on LFCDS, please visit www.lfcds.org or call 847-615-6151.