Yesterday, two teams from St. Anne’s-Belfield School made their way to Richmond to compete in the VADC First Lego League Qualifying Tournament. The Heroes of Hades, our 5th and 6th grade Division I team, and Robots Gone Rogue, our 7th and 8th grade Division II team, have been working for months under the direction of myself, Ms. Wilkens, Mr. Minster, and our Upper School robotics mentors. We left bright and early – 6:30 AM! – to make it to Richmond for a full day of competition.

Competition day is always hard to describe. With competitions for Robot Design, Project, Core Values, and three rounds of high-pressure robot competition, it seems like the only word to summarize is INTENSE. It’s a day full of highs, lows, learning, and laughter. And it’s the perfect time to put that famous STEM resiliency to the test: a long day of problem solving, de-bugging, flexibility, coding, and collaboration!

Congratulations to both Robots gone Rogue and the Heroes of Hades for a great season of hard work and focus. And a special shoutout to the Heroes of Hades for earning the Core Values award for Division 1!