The LMPS (Lakeland Middle Preparatory School) Robotics Team qualified for finals during a competition Saturday (1.18.20) in Collierville.
Advisor Quanta Spears, 6th grade STEM teacher, said the team competed in the “Squared Away in the ‘Ville” Middle School Divisional Robotics Competition.
“They did really well! It was only our school’s 2nd robotics tournament and they managed to qualify for competition finals. LMPS’s Team-Anonymous finished 6th overall while Team-BigBrains finished 8th overall out of 25 middle schools. We are extremely proud of our students’ commitment and the progress they are making.”
The 10-member team of 6th through 8th graders heads to their third competition Feb 1st at St. Mary’s Episcopal School – Lower School “Next Level Winter Tournament.”
Explaining the finals, Mrs. Spears said, “Depending on the size of the tournament, every team will compete in a series of approximately 8-10 qualifying matches. The teams that finish in the top 20 qualify to compete in the FINAL ROUND. At this point, all scores are reset to zero and you get one chance to compete and earn the highest table score. The highest scoring FINALIST, wins!”
She added, “Robotics competitions are very new for us and it hasn’t happened without its challenges. We have experienced anything from competing with a broken controller to dropping and breaking our robots right before a qualification match. Team members never gave up, kept their composure and supported each other until jobs were done! I was so proud this weekend, watching them conquer unexpected adversities.” The Robotics Club was opened to LMPS students this school year,
Students interested in being on the team next year should look for signs posted around the school with the online link to join, said Mrs. Spears.
… Photos courtesy of LMPS
