February 13 2025 | Sussex | Views: 247
FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is a global competition for young people aged 9 to 16, organised in the UK by the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
The FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge tournament, hosted by London Gatwick at its renowned STEM Centre, took place on Thursday 13 February. An impressive fifteen teams of students, aged 9 to 16, from schools across the South East, competed in the SUBMERGED℠ challenge, all vying for the prestigious title of Regional Champions.
The event was supported by around twenty STEM Ambassadors, many returning for a third year, who served as referees and judges. They ensured teams followed the rulebook, coding their robots to complete the infamous practical mat challenges on time and judged the innovative solutions to an underwater problem the teams were challenged to solve. Beyond the competition, the Ambassadors encouraged students to embrace inclusivity, creativity, and confidence in this celebrated annual challenge and without their incredible support, this event would not be possible.
This year’s theme, SUBMERGED℠, challenges students to explore the mysteries and complexities of the underwater world, including ocean exploration, marine conservation, underwater technology and aquatic ecosystems. It encourages them to think about how robotics and engineering can aid in exploring and protecting the oceans while solving real-world problems, which they had to incorporate into their Innovation Project presentations on the day.
As an extra challenge, The STEM Hub tasked all participating teams with designing and building their own LEGO® creation linked to the SUBMERGED℠ theme during breaks from competing. London Gatwick’s engineering apprentices were on hand to judge and present an award for the most innovative build.
Once again, the results were extremely close, and the title of Sussex Regional Tournament Champions was awarded to Westminster School B. The team received their trophy from the Apprentice Development Lead at London Gatwick Airport and will now represent their school and Sussex at the FIRST® LEGO® League SUBMERGED UK National Final in Harrogate later this year.
There were also accolades for:
We thank this year’s participating schools and their teachers and congratulate all on their fantastic achievements: Calthorpe Park School, Caterham School, Cheam High School, Durrington High School, Ifield Community College, Reigate School, Reigate St Mary's Preparatory School, Sandhurst School, St Crispin's (2 teams), The Hawthorns School, Uckfield Community Technology College (2 teams), Westminster School (2 teams).
