Five teams from Martinsville City Public Schools earned top honors at the VA+DC FIRST LEGO League Challenge Regional Qualifier, held in December at Albert Harris Elementary School. Two MCPS teams advanced to the state tournament January 10 and 11 at James Madison University.
The PHinders, a Division 1 team from Patrick Henry Elementary School, and Absolute Zero, a Division 2 team from Martinsville Middle School, will represent Martinsville at the state competition. More than 100 teams from across Virginia and Washington, D.C., are expected to compete, with top performers advancing to the FIRST LEGO League World Festival.
The PHinders earned first place in robot performance and first place for their innovation project. Absolute Zero received the second-place grand champion award.
“We’re really excited to go to states,” said Margot Sharp, a sixth grader and member of Absolute Zero. “A lot of us [on the team] have been there before, but we’re still nervous. We still need to work on some things, like re-coding parts of our robot, and we’ll be ready!”
MCPS Elementary Coordinator of Math, Science, and STEM Tammy Allen said the teams’ success reflects a long-standing commitment to hands-on STEM learning.
“We are incredibly proud to have two teams advancing to the state tournament,” Allen said. “Martinsville students have been competing in LEGO robotics for many years, and we consistently see them rise to the challenge. Several of our teams have even gone on to compete at the world final, where they get to interact with students from across the globe.”
Three additional MCPS teams also earned top finishes at the regional competition. The Gear Goddesses from Albert Harris Elementary School placed first in Division 1 robot design. Jurassic Spark, a Division 1 team from Patrick Henry Elementary, earned second place in robot performance, while the O possum Overlords, also from Patrick Henry, received first place in the core values category.
“I’m delighted to see our students continue to excel in STEM-focused programs like robotics,” said Superintendent Dr. Zeb Talley. “Opportunities like this make learning engaging while challenging students to think critically, work as a team, and strive for excellence.”
FIRST LEGO League is a STEM-based competition that challenges students to design, build, and program LEGO robots to complete a series of timed tasks. Teams also present their robot design, mission strategy, and coding process to judges and collaborate on a research project focused on solving real-world problems.
MCPS students have participated in FIRST LEGO League for nearly two decades and have consistently advanced to state-level competitions and beyond.
“I’ve been doing LEGO robotics since elementary school, and I love it,” said sixth grader Adelaide Brent, also a member of Absolute Zero.
“Coding the robot and working as a team to solve problems is my favorite part. I think some of the things we’re learning now, like programming and presenting to the judges, will help us once we leave school.”
“Coding is definitely my favorite part, too,” Sharp added. “I want to be a video game concept artist someday, so that part is really fun and exciting for me.”
Participation in FIRST LEGO League helps students build foundational skills in coding and engineering while strengthening communication, collaboration, research, and problem-solving abilities. Students also gain experience presenting their ideas with confidence, all skills that extend well beyond the competition and into future academic and career pathways.
