Schoharie County Youths Compete in LEGO League Tournament

ALBANY — A team of six Schoharie County youths participated in the Hudson Valley First LEGO League Tournament at Albany Academy on January 18th. The group, named Dinosaur Emoji by vote, consisted of students ages 9-14 from Schoharie, Middleburgh, and Gilboa-Conesville, as well as homeschooled students, and began meeting in September at the West Fulton Firehouse in preparation for Sunday’s tournament, with the aid of three volunteer coaches. This year’s theme, “Unearthed”, offered participants the opportunity to learn about the world of archeology through their LEGO robotics experiments. The team utilized computer coding programs to animate their LEGO creations. Dinosaur Emoji worked together to create a script and a stop-motion video, using their LEGO robotics skills to convey the lessons they learned about archeology. But the tournament was not about winning or losing, per se. It was about encouraging curiosity and fun. “LEGO League doesn’t focus on winners and losers,” says volunteer coach Bruce DeLaet. “[I]t’s about learning and having fun… All in all, our team had fun and did well.” 

FIRST LEGO League, a non-profit organization, has a set of core values it expects from its participants:  Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, and Fun. The Dinosaur Emoji team consistently displayed these values over the 18 weeks leading up to the tournament, with some having previous experience in LEGO robotics and assisting newer members along the way. Most importantly, they had fun.