DMS Students Compete in FIRST LEGO League Competition

Congratulations go out to the C.S. Driver Middle School Lego League team who participated in the FIRST LEGO League’s robotics challenge event Jan. 20 at OCM BOCES in Cortlandville. This was the district’s second year taking part in the competition; competing against 17 other area schools.

The FIRST Lego League program is inquiry-based in which students, ages 9-14, self-direct their learning around a real-world challenge by asking the question: How can I use the arts to increase interest in our hobby and make an impact on our community? The DMS team chose writing. In addition to the research topic, students tackle robotics challenges, design a solution, and present their findings to a panel of judges. 

According to Mrs. Newhouse, “our team dedicated over 60 hours - from September to January - to develop, design, & modify robots, learn various aspects of programming and innovative design, and apply and extend existing math knowledge."

Team members Brian, Wyatt, Ty, Reece, Eric, Henry, Caitie, and Yoan all contributed to the final presentation. The "Pick-a-Prompt" interactive museum exhibit pictured is meant to make the process of writing more interactive by including the arts, with lights, sounds and anticipation. Their collective involvement made the process and final product our best yet! To top it off, we had the unique opportunity to include Logan, our volunteer high shcoolstudent mentor, for the second year in a row.

“FIRST Lego League is all about the process. Our kids took initiative, developed a sense of ownership, demonstrated growth over last year, and learned meaningful lessons that transcend this activity. They can take these skills with them beyond their work here at Marcellus.” said coach, Kate Shanahan.