CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) - At Eagle Valley Middle School, six students are working to improve their LEGO robot. They're still not satisfied, even though it played a critical role in them winning the trophy at the Northern Nevada FIRST LEGO LEAGUE Championship last month. <\/p>\n
\"It was just an incredible feeling!\" says Nevan McIlwee, 13. \"To see all our hard work just paid off to get to that.\" <\/p>\n
For this group, which calls itself the Jedi Engineers, winning that competition isn't enough. But it was a big deal. They beat out dozens of other teams at the competition at UNR. Teams were judged on their robots' ability to complete tasks and on their problem-solving skills. <\/p>\n
Now, this group of seventh and eighth graders is gearing up for the World Championship Tournament in April in Houston, Texas. They will compete against more than a hundred other teams who are also champions in their own countries. <\/p>\n
\"It means a lot,\" says Kai Miller, 12, a Jedi Engineer. \"I mean, we're going to see teams from all over the world. Teams from Europe, Africa, China, Russia, South America... It's really, really big for our community.\" <\/p>\n
And while it was tough enough to qualify for this tournament, raising money is the new challenge. <\/p>\n
\"We are doing huge fundraising because it is going to be so expensive to go to World Festival,\" says Lisa Stocke-Koop, Eagle Valley STEM teacher and LEGO coach. \"It's going to be over $20,000 before we're done.\" <\/p>\n
That's because the students have also been invited to compete in an international tournament in England. Their teacher believes the kids are not just an inspiration for other students. <\/p>\n
\"These guys, they bring tears to my eyes,\" says Stocke-Koop. \"When I look at what they've done and I look at how proud they are of their achievements... every one of these kids could change the world. And I am just so thrilled that I'm a part of their education.\" <\/p>\n
The team has set up a gofundme account online to raise money for travel expenses. You can find it here. <\/p>\n
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Local robotics students headed to World Championship tournament - KOLO<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) - At Eagle Valley Middle School, six students are working to improve their LEGO robot Continue reading