Local Students Headed to Major Lego Competition

Their team t-shirt shows a hand moving a mountain. It’s an appropriate image for Team Jireh, who overcame significant obstacles on its way to a triumphant win in the First Lego League (FLL) Championship Tournament at the University of Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center in late January.

Team Jireh, a robotics team made up of eight 12- to 15-year-old homeschooled students from Lower Saucon Township, Upper Saucon Township and Quakertown, has now been invited to compete at the international-level World Festival in St. Louis, Mo., from April 23-28. It is an opportunity given to only 85 of more than 20,000 FLL teams worldwide.

Team Jireh’s task in the Championship Tournament was twofold: to program an autonomous robot to score points on a thematic playing surface, and to create an innovative solution to a problem.

The team’s winning project was a refrigerator ice pack designed to prevent food spoilage during a .

Team Jireh’s efforts merited a first place trophy for robot performance, and the Champion’s Award for team members Stephen and Timothy Gahman, Alison and Samuel Janney, Eliza Caverly, David Lawrence, Maryellen Neumann and Logan Ziegenfus.

The Champion’s Award “measures how the children inspire and motivate others about the excitement of science and technology, solving problems, working as a team, and demonstrating respect, and gracious professionalism.”

Team Jireh’s success has presented a new challenge: In order to participate in the World Festival, it must raise a $1,000 registration fee by March 23, and approximately $8,000 for transportation and lodging. Financial contributions would be greatly appreciated.

The names of the team's sponsors will be prominently displayed in the team’s pit area at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

Checks can be made out to “Jireh Robotics” and sent to Jireh Robotics, c/o Laura Janney, 411 Fairview St., Coopersburg, PA 18036 (donations are not tax deductible).