Girl Scouts who participated in our robotics program are reaching new heights!
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GSGCNWI) proudly sponsored 12 FIRST Robotics teams this season in partnership with Motorola Foundation Solutions. There were eight FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge teams (for students in grades 4-8), three FLL Explore teams (for students in grades 2-4), and one FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team (for students in grades 7-12).
All age groups learned about this season’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) theme, which focused on power and energy.
Volunteer coaches created a comprehensive STEAM curriculum that taught the basics of building a moving robot or model. Teams programmed the robot or model with Spike Prime Essential, Spike Prime, or Java programming languages.
Teams also shared a poster, skit, song, play, or engineering presentation to show how much they learned this season with judges who determined awards and advancements.
Some of the notable accomplishments of this season’s teams are:
- FLL Challenge team, The Unstoppable Robogirls, from Troop 25237, was a seventh-grade FLL Challenge team that advanced to the Illinois State FLL Challenge Championship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with their highest robot run score of 245 points. They won the Core Values Trophy at their regional competition in December 2023 with 110 points for their highest robot run.
FLL Challenge team, Saucedo, from Troop 24520, won the Robot Performance Trophy with 200 points for their highest robot run at their regional tournament. This was the rookie year for Saucedo.
FLL Challenge team, Rad Rovers, from various troops based at Oakton Community College, won the Engineering Excellence Trophy with 280 points for their highest robot run at their regional tournament. This was the rookie year for Rad Rovers.
- FLL Challenge team, Warriors, from Troop 55557, scored 165 points for their highest robot run at their regional tournament. The Warriors have advanced to the FLL Challenge state championship in past years.
- FLL Challenge team, Electric Golden Girls, from Troop 75733, scored 130 points for their highest robot run at their regional tournament. This was the rookie year for Electric Golden Girls.
FLL Challenge team, Hot Potatoes, from Troop 25778, scored 140 points for their highest robot run at the regional tournament. This was the rookie year for Hot Potatoes.
FLL Challenge team, Space Monkeys (Juliettes based in Wheaton), scored 210 points for their highest robot run at the regional tournament.
- FLL Challenge team, LEGO Chicago, from Troop 21397, returned to FLL Robotics after being inactive for two years during COVID-19.
FLL Explore team, Saucedo, from Troop 24520, presented at an exhibition in Chicago.
FLL Explore team, The Cookie Crunchers, from Troop 47305, presented at an exhibition in Chicago. They also presented at an exhibition at the FIRST Robotics World Festival in Houston and were chosen for the Core Value Award. And they presented their robotics model at their Girl Scouts service unit meeting.
FLL Explore team, The Unstoppable Robogirls Junior, from Troop 47305, presented at an exhibition in Chicago. They also presented an exhibition at the FIRST Robotics World Festival in Houston and were chosen for the Best Poster Award.
- The FTC team, Newton Busters, from Troops 41302 and 40423, won the Illinois State Championship robot matches. To win the state championship, the team faced other robotics teams in five elimination matches, two semi-final alliance matches, and two final alliance matches. Elimination matches randomly select two teams to compete against two other teams. Alliance matches are self-selected alliances of three teams competing against three other teams. Throughout the season, the team competed in three league tournaments, one league championship, and one state championship. At the league championship hosted at the Grainger Headquarters in Lake Forest, with 600 people in attendance, the team won the FIRST Inspire Award and the Innovate Trophy. At the state championship held at Elgin Community College with 38 teams who advanced to the state championship, they won the 2022-2023 Illinois State Championship Tournament Winning Alliance Trophy and the 2022-2023 Illinois State Championship Tournament Control Trophy. One of the coaches, a 16-year Girl Scout leader, won the 2023 Power Play Chicago Suburban Northeast Volunteer of the Year Trophy.
Congratulations to all teams for your incredible accomplishments!
More information about FIRST Robotics can be found on the National website (https://www.firstinspires.org/) or the Illinois website (https://www.firstillinoisrobotics.org/).