Oshkosh FIRST- November 16-17, 2019

Six FLL teams from Oshkosh Area School District competed this past weekend at the Lakeshore  FIRST Lego League Regional in Cleveland Wisconsin. These six teams have members from Oaklawn, Traeger Elementary, Traeger Middle School, South Park, Alps, Tipler, Merrill and Oakwood.

Team 16152 CODE Orange from Alps and Tipler competed with 26 other Wisconsin teams on Saturday at Lakeshore Technical College and did an outstanding job presenting their solution to a “City Shaper Challenge.” They designed a curbside collection unit for biodegradable waste that would then be taken to the UW Oshkosh Biodigester and converted into compost and methane gas, which could be used to fuel the city's garbage trucks. The team is excited to share their idea with the Oshkosh Common Council at their Dec. 10 meeting. They also designed, built, and programmed a high performing robot and had an abundance of enthusiasm and positive energy. The judges were so impressed with the team that they were awarded the 2nd place Champions Award!  The Champion’s Award recognizes a team that embodies the FIRST LEGO League experience, by fully embracing our Core Values while achieving excellence and innovation in both the robot game and project.

Team 14054 The Polystyrenes from Alps and Tipler competed with 22 Wisconsin teams at the Sunday Lakeshore Tournament. They were equally excited to share their innovative playground idea - installing generators into different types of playground equipment to harness the power of children! The energy collected would be used to power lights around the park, and solar panels on park shelters and bathhouses would provide electricity to the park shelters and heat water for the bathrooms. The Polystyrene's robot design was very efficient and their programming skills were exemplary, earning the team the Robot Programming Award.  The Programming award recognizes a team that utilizes outstanding programming principles, including clear, concise and reusable code that allows their robot to perform challenge missions autonomously and consistently.   

Team 31324 Urban Titans from Traeger Middle / Elementary and Oakwood competed with 22 Wisconsin teams at the Sunday Lakeshore Tournament.  They presented their Pop-Up Playground Pieces that can pop up by bus stops and street corners to help keep kids happier and healthier by allowing them to exercise their bodies and minds.  They shared their project
with a playground designer from BCI Burke and incorporated suggestions into their project. The project earned them the Innovative Solution award. The Innovative Solution award recognizes a team’s solution that is exceptionally well-considered and creative, with good potential to solve the problem researched. 

Team 24618:  Radioactive Brainiacs from Traeger/ Oakwood competed with 22 Wisconsin teams at the Sunday Lakeshore Tournament.  They won the Project Presentation award for their eco-friendly re-design of Smith Elementary School into a Community Center.  The Presentation award recognizes a team that effectively communicates the problem they have identified and their proposed solution to both the judges and other potential supports.  They have shared their project with members of the school district and the Oshkosh Common Council.

Team 40959, Feddy and the Gang, from South Park competed with 22 Wisconsin teams at the Sunday Lakeshore Tournament.  They brought home the Core Value award for their outstanding teamwork and are working hard to spread the word about bike safety. They have come up with an innovative solution called Blinklery to help. Blinkerly is a fashionable yet functional sweatshirt that uses bluetooth buttons attached to bike handlebars connected to LEDs that display a signal on the back to indicate which direction a child is turning on their bike. They are working to create a fully functional prototype to present to the judges at the sectional competition in Appleton. Check out their informational video on bike safety here to help spread the word!

Team 16152 CODE Orange, Team 14054 The Polystyrenes,Team 31324 Urban Titans, Team 24618  Radioactive Brainiacs and Team 40959 Feddy and the Gang will advance to Sectionals at Appleton East High School on Sunday December 15.  

Team 45342  T.N.T. for the Win! competed with 22 Wisconsin teams at the Sunday Lakeshore Tournament.  This rookie team with members from Oaklawn and Merrill Elementary Schools are an alternative to advance to Sectional in Appleton.  The problem they examined was accessibility issues in the community. They developed the concept for a phone app named Wheeli to inform people about accessibility-related information prior to visiting a business. They really enjoyed this first season, and they look forward to coming back even stronger next year. Teamwork and Technology for the win!

The CITY SHAPER CHALLENGE

What if you could build a better world? Where would you begin?

More than ever, we must come together to innovate and solve problems. In FIRST®, you are part of a thriving community brimming with inspiration, creativity, and hope for a stronger, more sustainable future—one that’s built better together. You have the power to help the cities, towns, and places you call home reach new heights. With the support of the FIRST community, this is your opportunity to lead our future forward—and up.

FIRST LEGO League challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers. During the CITY SHAPER season, teams will choose and solve a real-world problem in the Innovation Project. They will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under the FIRST signature set of Core Values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism®.