Oregon Trail Laser Blazers go on PBS 'WY Field Trip'

Excerpt from natronaschools.org article by Jenni Luckett

Members of Oregon Trail Elementary Schools’ FIRST LEGO League Robotics team headed into the field to study wind farms – and they’re taking other Wyoming students along for the ride.

The students were the first in the state to participate in a new Wyoming PBS project called WY Field Trip. The project takes a small group of students on a field trip while videotaping their experiences. The video, along with a variety of other resources such as a glossary, teacher tools, related links and quick facts, go up on the Wyoming PBS Web site so that other students in other schools can take a “virtual” version of the trip.

WY Field Trip - Wind Farms Website
Full Article

Wyoming Rookie Team Grants

FIRST LEGO League has awarded a $2000 FIRST Growth grant to Wyoming FLL. The grant is intended to help grow and expand FLL in Wyoming. The Wyoming FLL planning team has determined that we will use the growth grant to reimburse the $200 FLL Registration fee for 10 Rookie teams. Please read below for details.

Number of Grants: Wyoming FLL has ten (10) - $200.00 grants that will be awarded to ten (10) Wyoming Rookie Teams.

Grant Eligibility Requirements:
1) Teams applying for the grant must be a 'rookie' team. Rookie means that the 2009 Smart Move season will be the team's first FLL season. This would not include sites that had a team last year and reform annually to have a team in 2009 with differing members/team name, sorry.
2) Teams must attend AND compete in the 2009 Wyoming FIRST LEGO League Championship to be held on December 4th and 5th, 2009 at the Casper Events Center. Grants funds will be distributed AFTER the competition.
3) Teams must submit an invoice for $200.00 to NCSD after Dec. 5th, 2009

Grant Selection Criteria:
The first 10 teams registered in the FIRST LEGO League registration system (https://gofll.usfirst.org) AND meet the above eligibility requirements will receive the $200 grant. [Since the registration assigns team numbers sequentially, we will award the 10 teams that meet all eligibility requirements and have the lowest team number.]

Grant Application:
Please fill out the following survey to apply: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=b3e5EpxTsW_2bi8VWAqkVzvQ_3d_3d

If you have any questions please feel free to email them to me.

2009 Wyoming FLL Coaches Clinic

Wyoming FLL will be hosting a FREE coaches clinic on June 8th, 2009 at Casper College. The training will be open for all those interested in Wyoming FIRST LEGO League. The clinic is geared toward the entire Wyoming FIRST LEGO League coaching community.

The Registration link is now closed to collect the information for those that will be receiving the FREE Coaching materials. You are still welcome and encouraged to attend, you just won't get the FREE Stuff. Please email Jeff Brewster (jeff_brewster@ncsd.k12.wy.us) if you would like to attend the clinic on June 8th.

Tentative Schedule

• 8:00 - 8:30 am Breakfast items & Coffee
• 8:30 - 9:30 am General Session: Overview of Wyoming FLL
• 9:30 - 9:45 am Break
• 9:45 - 10:45 am Breakout Session 1 (1 hour)
• 10:50 - 11:50 pm Breakout Session 2 (1 hour)
• 12:00 - 12:30 pm Lunch (provided)
• 12:30 - 2:30 pm Breakout Session 3 (2 hours)
• 2:30 - 3:30 pm Breakout Session 4 (1 hour)

Potential Breakout Topics:

• Robot Design (get insights from World Festival robot designs)
  
• FLL Registration System & FLL Community Site
  
• Starting & Mentoring a FLL Team
• Research Project/Judging
• Basic NXT programming
• Intermediate NXT programming
• Competition Day (what to expect)

Casper College
Energy Institute
Room 100
See you in June!

2008 Wyoming FLL Championship Video

2008 Wyoming FIRST LEGO League Championship
Video shot and produced by Natrona County High School NCTV students with assistance of their teacher Lance Madzey. Wyoming FLL Special Guests; U.S. Senator John Barrasso, U. S. Senator Mike Enzi, Dan Stiehl from the MIT Media Labs Personal Robotics Group, and of course the teams of children from around Wyoming.

2009 Season Registration Open

Registration for the 2009 Smart Move FLL Season is now open. Please go to the FLL registration system (https://gofll.usfirst.org/) to sign up.