Mentoring Edina teams that are in the younger FIRST programs is a big part of 1816’s community outreach. From September until end of the competition season for FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST LEGO League, and FIRST LEGO League Jr., The Green Machine spreads out to offer mentoring and coaching to Edina-based teams. There’s still time to catch the state’s top LEGO teams at the FLL State Tournament, Saturday February 25, hosted by High Tech Kids.
Here is an update from Brandon, who helped coordinate team members to mentor 18 of these teams. “It is great working with the kids on their LEGO robots. They are able to bounce ideas off of us high-school mentors, and use our advice to help their teams through the season. My team’s project focused on helping to stop the decline of bee populations. They took my advice by starting early and finding professionals to contact and further their research. I was also able to help them with their design and programming, which proved invaluable to them. When they got stuck, I was able to walk them through how to solve the problem they were having. Mentoring students also allowed me to help prepare them for future years in FIRST. Mentoring these teams allows us to be able to help guide students through being successful in robotics, which often leads to their developing an interest in middle and high school STEM programs.”
To learn more about FIRST and FRC Team 1816, please join us at our mid-build season Open House, Saturday February 11, noon to 2 PM, in the high school theater workshop.