"Lego-mania! Students build problem-solving bots"

"These legos are building leaders.

Teams of students from across the borough put their heads together and crafted problem-solving robots out of thousands of legos, motors, and senors for the First Lego League semifinal at Xaverian High School on March 4. Hundreds gathered at the Bay Ridge school to test their robotics skills, but the event went beyond stoking students’ interest in science and technology, and helped them develop crucial life skills, said one educator.

“I feel like it’s building the kids’ character,” said sixth-grade Marine Park science teacher Bruce Gamsey, who coached the Marine Park Storm Troppers and Marine Park Blockets. “They start with a couple thousand Lego pieces and their imaginations have to run wild. It builds creative thinkers, independent workers, and teaches them how to collaborate with others.”

Each First Lego League competition asks pupils to research a problem, such as recycling, energy, or sustainable agriculture. This time, the semifinals theme was “animal allies,” and asked students to focus on how animals and humans interact, according to Gamsey. And the theme carried throughout the tourney..."

Read the full article at its source: http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2017/10/br-lego-robotics-xaverian-2017-03-10-bk.html