The La Cañada Engineering Club “Blockheads” competed in the annual FIRST Robotics Championship in Houston from April 19 to 22 after earning the coveted Impact Award prize last month at a regional competition in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although the team did not take home a top award, being invited to compete at an international level is a coveted accomplishment. La Cañada last qualified to compete at the world competition in 2019.
The Blockheads sent 28 students to the championship to compete against 18,000 students representing 59 countries. In total, 974 robotics team competed across the three robotics divisions.
To qualify to attend the world championship, the La Cañada Engineering Club participated in two regional competitions, including tournaments at Port Hueneme in February and last month in Las Vegas. The club clinched their invitation to the championship during the Las Vegas tournament.
As part of the championship competition, the La Cañada Engineering Club was evaluated by judges for the tournament’s Impact Award, the most prestigious award at FIRST Robotics Competitions. The award honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST, which is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators.
To be considered for the Impact Award, the Blockheads presented their outreach activities for the year, including:
- Hosting a free FIRST LEGO League summer camp for 4th- through 8th-grade students
- Sponsoring 5 FLL teams during the year
- Sponsoring two FIRST Tech Challenge robotics teams with a membership growth of 225% over last school year
- Hosting a free community speaker series featuring STEM professionals from JPL and Northrop Grumman
- Teaching curriculum including CAD, programming, fabrication, and problem-solving
- Hosting an annual E-waste drive
While the Blockheads did not receive the finalist prize for the Impact Award, the team was energized by the ability to compete on the international stage.
“The La Cañada Blockheads have been extremely active in the community this year promoting STEM and encouraging students to join one of the three robotics teams the club sponsors and mentors,” said Kevin Bice, the faculty sponsor of the La Cañada Engineering Club. “Winning the Impact Award at the Las Vegas Regional Tournament demonstrated their exceptional achievements and commitment to promoting STEM learning.”
The La Cañada Engineering Club is a student-led organization that receives support from club mentors, faculty and parents who generously donate their time to assist the students in STEM learning.
“We were thrilled to be selected to compete at the FIRST Championship in Houston,” said Warren Lam, president of the La Cañada Engineering Club and senior at LCHS “The team focused all year on outreach efforts, and we attracted a lot of new students to our STEM activities. It was an amazing experience for everyone attending the Houston Championship and a fantastic opportunity to network within the STEM community.”
The FIRST Robotics Competition is a program for high school students that aims to engage young people in science, technology, engineering and math to inspire the next generation of innovators and leaders.
LCHS Junior Giselle Ng was named a FIRST Dean’s List Finalist during the Port Hueneme competition for her leadership attracting new students by organizing the FIRST LEGO League summer program, mentoring 5 FLL teams and promoting FLL competitions hosted at LCHS during the school year.
Brian Mendoza, the Blockheads’ lead mentor, won the coveted Woodie Flowers Award for mentors during the Port Hueneme Regional Competition after being nominated by the club’s students.
“Getting the opportunity to compete among the best robotics teams across the globe is an incredible honor for the club,” Mendoza said. “We were fortunate to be able to host some of our younger FLL and FTC students at the world competition to allow them to see firsthand how exciting it is to be part of the FIRST community and inspire them for the future.”
The competition’s winning FRC alliance for 2023 included four robotics clubs representing Madera, California; Champaign, Illinois; Ventura, California; and Ontario, Canada.
For more information about joining or mentoring the La Cañada Engineering Club Blockheads, visit LaCanadaEngineeringClub.org.
First published in the April 27 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
