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A team of six second and third graders from Barstow Elementary School was invited to attend the 2014 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) World Festival Expo, a science and technology competition for elementary and middle school students. The event is a world-wide competition and exhibition organized by FIRST, a non-profit organization founded by Dean Kamen. Through FIRST, Mr. Kamen, who invented the portable insulin pump and the Segway Human Transporter, envisioned “a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.” This year's event was held at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri.
Over 600 teams from thirty-nine countries were invited to this four-day championship event that began on April 23, 2014. The Barstow Junior FIRST LEGO League (JrFLL) team was one of 13 teams representing Maryland from the four programs within FIRST: FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), FIRST LEGO League (FLL), and Junior FIRST LEGO League (JrFLL). The Barstow JrFLL team, the Barstow Bulldogs, received the invitation after participating at the JrFLL Expo hosted by College of Southern Maryland in December, 2013. The Barstow team is the only JrFLL team from Maryland that was invited to participate, joining forty teams from the United States, Canada, and China.
The JrFLL teams are given a theme each year. They must complete a research project on the theme and create a LEGO model to illustrate their project, which must also include at least one moving part. This year’s theme was “Disaster Blaster,” and the Barstow team researched hurricanes. They talked to a local firefighter and searched the web about hurricanes. They also built a LEGO model showing a neighborhood devastated by a hurricane. A spinning hurricane powered by a LEGO motor was at the center of their model.
The team participated in various events at the World Festival Expo, including a judged presentation and a televised showcase for invited guests. The team was awarded the “Solid as a Rock” award at the closing ceremony. This award was given to the team that demonstrated an understanding and application of construction knowledge to design and create a sturdy and solid LEGO model.
The team was comprised of Chyll Cortes, Ben Rachic, Andrew Seawell, Riley Strain, Nikki Tjiputra, and Marcus Washington. They were coached by Barstow staff Mrs. Kelli Short and Mrs. Bonnie Davis. Dominion Energy, National Defense Education Fund, and the Help Association provided financial sponsorship to assist the team with this two-day trip.