Wicklow students set to build on success
A TEAM of sixth class pupils from a Wicklow primary school is US bound for the global finals of a competition that mixes science and technology with imaginative use of Lego building bricks.
Pupils from Wicklow Montessori Primary School won their place at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival in Detroit in April at the recent UK and Ireland final at the University of Western England, Bristol, impressing judges in the “core values” category, which focuses on teamwork, sharing and the spirit of participation.
FIRST LEGO League encourages children to develop practical solutions to real world issues. About 33,000 teams from 90 countries competed in 1,400 qualifying and championship tournaments this year.
The theme of this year’s challenge is hydrodynamics — with teams invited to learn about how we find, transport, use, or dispose of water — which inspired the Wicklow group’s Airbots entry looking at good uses for water confiscated at airport security checks. Their recycling ideas included watering plants and washing aeroplanes.
The private co-educational primary school outside Wicklow town has its own computer room and places a strong emphasis on Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) learning.
The school’s fourth class was also among the runners up in the recent Intel Mini Scientist competition.