Allison Dragonots FIRST Lego League (FLL) Team # 8963 is a group of talented students who are a combination of ELL (English language learners), transitioning bilingual, and monolingual students. They are all first time participants to the FLL robotics competition.
The robotics program at Allison Elementary is in its second year and has been coordinated by Rosemary Miranda, instructional specialist. The team is mentored by Allison teachers, Mr. Martinez and Mr. Morris, and community members. The team’s diversity exemplifies strong leadership, teamwork, and respect.
A few students participated in the STEM Robotics summer school. As a team they had made a commitment not to give up no matter how challenging it got for them. These challenges created a strong bond within the team.
Their best memory was at the competition in the first round of the robotic mission. Time was running out, but as the buzzer was about to sound off, the ball bounced into the goal net. The team jumped high with excitement when the judge made the ruling that it counted as a goal. This one moment made all the difference in their attitude. Obstacles and setbacks couldn’t keep them down after such an exciting finish to the competition. At the end, they placed second in the robotic missions and second overall in the championship.
Participating in FLL helped improve their self-esteem. It also taught them that they can succeed with hard work and perseverance. Through FLL, they learned gracious professionalism, teamwork, and commitment that will not only carry over within, but beyond the classroom. As one of the team members stated, “We are just as good as anyone else. All you have to do is believe in yourself and work hard.”
The Dragonots’ determination and commitment to learning is a perfect example of why the Freescale Foundation supports robotics in Texas. The FIRST in Texas Foundation is committed to helping students like the Dragonots continue to build a bright future; we encourage you to join our team and help raise awareness for the Austin Marathon through everydayhero today.
UPDATE: This team had the opportunity to be interviewed on KVUE! Check out the video here.