Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
After starting the program last year, the Palouse Area Robotics team has secured a new grant for the 2013 competitions, specifically for a new younger division from Colfax.
The student group has been awarded an $800 First Lego League grant from the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction, to be split between two age 9-14 teams.
They are both part of the Palouse Area Robotics team, made up of high school students from Colfax and Pullman. Last year, the older group competed in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Spokane regional robotics competition held in Cheney. A $6,500 grant from NASA paid for the kit and registration fee for that event.
The younger two teams, which are deemed First Lego League (FLL), will compete in a regional competition next January and a state competition in February. The registration fees are significantly lower for FLL.
“We’ll still have to do some fundraising but we’re progressing,” said Janet Schmidt, County Director and 4H Youth Educator.
One of the FLL groups meets at the CETC in Colfax while another meets at Jennings Elementary. They are led by advisors Helena Johnson and Kris Ward.
“It was a great experience last year for the older kids and we wanted to grow this year and provide the opportunity for the younger ones,” said Schmidt.
The high school group is led by Dave Tharp and Glenn Woodhouse.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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