March 19, 2024

Newton Christian FIRST team places second at state

‘Chappy’ helps team perform well in Ames

Chappy, it seems, can do nearly anything.

The Lego-built robot not only can detect colors, high-five a human being and aim and shoot a ball into a goal.

He can also hoist the Newton Christian School’s second-place championship trophy. Since Chappy had a major role in the Overall Robot Design second-place award at a Jan. 17 state-championship event, that seems fitting.

The Lego Masters, Newton Christian’s team of fifth through eighth-graders, took second in robot design in the annual FIRST Lego League robotics state competition at Iowa State University in Ames. It’s one of the best finishes the team has had at state — although the Masters are no strangers to that level of competition.

FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognizing Science and Technology” — an international organization that oversees several Lego robotics leagues.

The Masters have qualified for state many times, and that involves placing among the top few teams at large regional competitions. At state, the Masters had won several specialty awards, including 2009 Robot Performance, 2010 Inspiration and 2011 Programming honors.

“The robotics are only a part of the competitions,” said Steve Larson, one of the team’s coaches. “The kids also had to put together a pamphlet, and ours displayed different learning styles, and how each person has one that fits their brain best.”

The robotics competition league pits teams against each other, as they craft and pilot robots built entirely out of Lego blocks. Each September, the league’s teams are given a particular challenge, or theme, and this year’s challenge is “FLL World Class.”

The Lego Masters took home the Champion’s Award and took first place in Robot Performance Award at a 28-team qualifier, held Dec. 6 at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. Teams are judged in four areas: project presentation; robot performance; technical design and programming of the robot; and teamwork, with a consideration of the FLL Core Values.

The NCS Lego Masters team members are fifth-grader Treycen Garton, sixth-graders Brayden Koon, Jon Breckenridge, Sarah Malsom and Cade Smith; seventh-graders T.J. Barwegen and Peter Larson and eighth-grader Parker Schnell. Newton Police Lt. Wes Breckenridge is the Masters’ other coach.

Each team member was assigned to specific elements of “Chappy” and the robotics to make things go smoothly. For example, Jon Breckenridge and Koon were in charge of attachments, such as arms. Larson said he learned a great deal this year about how exact robotics calculations need to be.

“A measurement has to be a precise degree, or it throws everything off,” he said.

Schnell said going to state each year is a shared experience that focuses on the values. He also mentioned an element that was echoed loudly by his peers.

“We like the food, too,” he said.