Team TACO (Totally Awesome Cardinals, Obviously) and Team Bird Brains, First Lego League (FLL) robotic teams at Crabapple Lane Elementary, are just one competition away from competing at the state level.
Both teams brought home top awards from the Rock Springs Regional robotics competition, allowing them to progress to the Columbus State Super Regionals in January that will determine the teams advancing to the state competition in the spring.
Team TACO won the Champion’s Award, the top award of the competition, which automatically advanced them to the Super Regional competition. Team Bird Brains earned the Research Award and Top Performing Robot Award, earning enough points to also advance to the Super Regional event.
The competition requires teams to program an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field, as well as to complete a project challenge that solves a current issue or problem. This year’s challenge is “Hydro Dynamics,” where students solve a problem that relates to the human water cycle (how humans and water interact).
Recognizing that it is not easy to refill water bottles from drinking fountains, Team TACO created an affordable attachment that connects to the bubbler head of the fountain without the need to drill holes or run additional water lines. They worked with Action Plumbing in Tyrone to develop the prototype, which is called Sip ‘N Fill.
Team Bird Brains focused on the ramifications caused by gasoline that is spilled by consumers at the gas pump, and proposed a process improvement that would prevent the problem from happening in the first place.
Members of Team TACO are Madison Lohr, Emmett Fisher, Marcus Morrow, Wynn McDonell, Jack Silcox, Graiden Garcia, Rina Suzuki, Cydney Fox, and Gavin McClure. The team’s coaches are Melissa Lohr and Stephanie Fisher.
Members of Team Bird Brains are Shae Staples, Carson Moses, Tyler Hooton, Lana Spraley, Kaden Korn, Hope Catlett, Ruby Marland, Keira Lee, and Will McDonell. The team’s coaches are Nicole Moses and Chan Spraley.
This marks Crabapple Lane’s third year of sponsoring two robotics teams and having both teams advance to the Super Regional competition.
