STEM – Reflections

On Saturday, January 25, the Lakehill Bionicles participated in its second FIRST Tech Challenge Qualifier for the year at Woodrow Wilson High School. This event was their last chance to advance to the North Texas Regional Tournament. Being close to home, the team had several Lakehill families, students, and staff in the audience cheering them on.

The students began with the Judges’ panel, which boosted their confidence. After their robot, Mata Nui, passed inspection, the rest of the day was filled with match play and additional interviews with judges. The Bionicles ended match play with a 3-2 record.

Importantly the FIRST organization not only values the students’ and robot’s performance in match play, but also the valuable learning experience that happens when the team put hours upon hours of work into their robots. This hard work is rewarded through the judged awards. According to FIRST, “The judged awards give us the opportunity to recognize Teams who embody important values like Gracious Professionalism®, teamwork, creativity, innovation, and the value of the engineering design process.” They also value the teams spreading the word about FIRST, robotics, and STEM concepts. At each tournament, the team gives a prepared presentation in front of a panel of two to three judges going over their design process and outreach activities. The students also turn in an Engineering Notebook that extensively documents every idea and outcome the students have encountered. The judges pay special attention to how the students iterate creative solutions using math, science, and design concepts. The judges want to hear every detail of the students’ journey, from ideas, to roadblocks, to solutions. The judges also look for how the students communicate the mission of FIRST to their communities, become involved with other teams, and get others interested in FIRST, Robotics, and STEM. The students communicated their journey in the judges’ panel, Engineering Notebook, and several impromptu interviews with the judges throughout the day.

The Bionicles placed in three of the five main award categories. The team earned the runner-up for the Design Award which focuses on industrial design from both an aesthetic and functional perspective. The Bionicles were also awarded runner-up for the Collins Aerospace Innovate Award focusing on innovation and out-of-the box ideas. The team was honored a third time as the runner-up for the Think Award, which focuses on the engineering design process, especially the underlying science and mathematics of the Robot design and game strategies.

The final award given was the prestigious Inspire Award. According to FIRST, the Inspire Award is, “given to the team that best embodies the ‘challenge’ of the FIRST Tech Challenge program. The team that receives this award is a strong ambassador for FIRST programs and a role model FIRST team. This team is a top contender for many other judged awards and is a gracious competitor. The Inspire Award winner is an inspiration to other teams, acting with Gracious Professionalism® both on and off the playing field. This team shares their experiences, enthusiasm, and knowledge with other teams, sponsors, their community, and the judges. Working as a unit, this team will have showed success in performing the task of designing and building a Robot.”

Receiving first place in the Inspire Award is the highest honor at a First Tech Challenge tournament, and is the first spot that is guaranteed advancement to the North Texas Regional tournament. The emcee began to read the pun-filled (as required by FIRST) announcement of the Inspire Award winner. “Things went swimmingly for this team today. They shined like the yellow sun bright and well crafted. We were buzzing with excitement about this transformative team. Team 14904, the Lakehill Bionicles!”

The Lakehill Bionicles will advance to Regionals and once again compete for a chance to attend the World Championships in Houston, Texas in April. The North Texas Regional Tournament will take place on Saturday, February 15, at Wylie East High School. In addition to the Regional Tournament, the Bionicles will be taking part in the TAPPS Robotics competition in Waco on March 30.

The Lakehill Bionicles are continuing their work to make their robot, teamwork, documentation, and presentation even better. The team is grateful to Lakehill faculty, staff, and families for their continued support of the Lakehill Bionicles.

Learn more about FIRST Robotics and the FIRST Tech Challenge.

By John Trout

Lakehill Preparatory School

Director of Summer Programs

It’s that time of year again, when the school year is winding down and summer camps are getting ready to launch. I’m such a kid at heart, and poring through the camps catalog always makes me wish that I were a kid again! There are so many camps that young Johnny Trout would have loved!

When I was in lower elementary, I would have been really excited about “Royalty Rules!” and “Eek! Bugs!” I was always building forts and castles where knights (usually my friends or younger cousins) would serve the king (me of course!). I also enjoyed learning about the past and how things were back in the “olden days,” though it didn’t even occur to me that what that really meant was that I enjoy history. “Royalty Rules!” would have been perfect blend of these two interests! And, when I wasn’t building forts, I was digging in the dirt for bugs. The natural world has always fascinated me, and a camp devoted to our multi-legged skittering friends would have been right up my alley!

In late elementary, I discovered two things: I really enjoy cooking, and superheroes are awesome! So, I would have been making tracks to “Simply Snacks” camp and “Mutants, Marvels, and Superheroes.” I love the empowerment of cooking camps; I remember being quite pleased when I made a treat that someone else enjoyed as much as I did, and I still enjoy cooking today. And, though I loved reading comics and enjoying comic book characters, I always wanted to take it to the next level by creating my own characters and stories, and making my own fantastic worlds come to life. These camps would have been perfect for me!

In middle and upper school, I discovered that I love making things. The “Advanced Puppetcraft Workshop” camp would have been perfect for me. The emphasis on sewing technique and well-planned designs means creating and constructing a puppet that is fun, meaningful, and built-to-last. I also discovered my love of the English Language throughout the centuries. “Summer with the Bard” camp would have given me the chance to practice my best Elizabethan Shakespeare accent while doing something else I simply didn’t do enough when I was growing up: performing in front of a crowd! I had horrible stage-fright until I was an adult, but Shakespeare and the company of friends would have helped me shake that much sooner!

These camps and more still have seats available this summer, but time is running out to sign up! If you think your child would love any of these camps as much as I would have, sign up today. If you wait too long, you might find that I took the last seat myself!

About Lakehill Summer Camps

Lakehill Summer Camps are unique in offering quality, teacher-led camps at an affordable price, with FREE before-camp and after-camp care available every day. Half-day, week-long camps are just $240 per week, while full-day, week-long camps are priced at just $315 per week. Mix and match from a variety of camps to create your perfect summer!

Find out more about Lakehill Summer Camps.

Lakehill Summer Camps – Voted Best Summer Camp by the readers of Lakewood, Lake Highlands, and Park Cities Bubblelife!