Developing the Young Workforce North Highland

Five teams from Caithness schools competed in the third FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge North Highland Tournament with the winning team going forward to the UK Final.

The third First Lego League Challenge North Highland Tournament took place on 12 March at ETEC on the UHI North West and Hebrides Thurso Campus and was hosted by NRS Dounreay, Developing the Young Workforce North Highland and UHI North West and Hebrides.

Five local teams participated: 2 from Thurso High School and 1 each from Reay Primary School, Noss Primary School and Newton Park Primary School.

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is an international competition sponsored by the Institution of Engineering and Technology in the UK. All participants design, hand-build and programme their robots to complete missions over the academic year and prepare a presentation on this year’s theme SUBMERGED which they delivered to a panel of judges. 

Each team participated in 3 short robot games and presented to a panel of judges where they were judged on their robot design, innovation project and core values e.g. team-work. They are also judged throughout the tournament and games on their gracious professionalism; their behaviours within their own team and how they interacted and supported the other teams and volunteers.  

Reay Primary School’s team ‘Reay Robotics’ won the Champion’s Award, for the team that embodies the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge experience by fully embracing the core values while achieving excellence and innovation in robot performance, robot design, and the innovation project. They will now go on to compete in the UK Final in Harrogate on 3 May.

Marie Mackay, Employee Engagement Specialist at NRS Dounreay and one of the main organisers, said: “We were all impressed by the pupils that participated in this year’s challenge, from their robot games and coding skills through to their presentations. The pupils embraced this year’s topic ‘Submerged’.”

“The FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is a big undertaking for the pupils, teachers and STEM ambassadors who support the teams; they have to be dedicated throughout the academic year to be in a position to compete however the pupils gain so much from it, not only STEM skills but the team working, presentation skills and personal development in general.”

“A big thank you has to go to everyone who supported the tournament, not only the main organisers from NRS Dounreay, Developing the Young Workforce North Highland and UHI North West and Hebrides but also to Cllr Willie Mackay who compered the event, the volunteer judges, head referee and NRS Dounreay apprentices who refereed the robot games.”

Who took part in the North Highland Tournament:

• The Noss Super Six – Noss Primary School (winner: Core Values Award and winner of Judges’ Award for poster design)
• Team Tomato – Thurso High School (winner: Robot Design Award)
• Team Bob – Thurso High School (winner: Judge’s Award for Most Sustainable Project)
• Belegos – Newton Park Primary School (winner: Innovation Project)
• Reay Robotics – Reay Primary School (winner: Robot Performance Award and Champion’s Award)