Every fall, fourth through eighth grade students compete in teams of 10 in the FIRST LEGO League competition.  The competition requires the teams to solve global problems through cooperative competition and innovative inventions. Depending on the level of the competition the location of the even varies.

The competition is designed around a different global issue each year. Global issues can include tornados, floods, volcanic eruptions, etc. The teams then design a product to help solve a global issue, such as peel-able windshields for areas that are hit with volcanic eruptions.

An Arrowhead senior and mentor Paul Daily said, “The kids are surprisingly intelligent. They are just as smart as I am in some aspects. We all learn from each other.”

The team needs to establish pricing for the product along with real world capability. Teams are required to apply real world math and science concepts to their challenges. The competition forces the teams to use critical thinking, good communication, and problem solving skills.

Daily said, “I really enjoy the competitions, they’re really fun and the kids are great.”

Another portion of the competition is the mission competition. Teams are given missions they must complete by building and programing robots using LEGO Mindstorm technology. Missions can be things like rescuing pets and people while avoiding obstacles. The more missions a team successfully completes the more points they are awarded. By the end of the event the team with the most points wins.

The Arrowhead district has about 10-15 teams currently competing. There is a big need for mentors in our area. Next year there will only be 1 mentor for the Arrowhead district and he will only be working with two teams.

Most teams have at least one mentor that helps teach the kids the required skills for the competition. Mentors are not allowed to coach or guide the team during the competitions.

Daly said, “I help teach them programing, team building, and critical thinking. Besides that, I keep them from running with scissors.”

Mentors are not required to have any skills in order to mentor a team. Teams typically meet three times a week out of season and every day during competition season.

Wisconsin competition season runs from September to December. World’s is located in St Louis and runs during April. The North American competition is located in California during May.

Daily said, “Anyone can become a mentor if they sign up at one of the participating schools. It’s a lot of fun and you get a lot of volunteer hours. Plus it looks great on any applications.”