WATCH: Team from Creggs NS in finals of LEGO robotics competition
Pupils and teachers, Conor Rabbitte, Liam Conneally, Ger Dowd and Fiona Brandon, from Creggs NS. Fifth and Sixth Class pupils from the school will be competing in the LEGO national finals.
Creggs National School, a four teacher rural primary school, is making its mark in the STEM world after its Fifth and Sixth Class pupils were selected as one of just 19 teams nationwide to compete in this year’s LEGO League national finals.
The international competition challenges students to design, build and programme LEGO robots. Pupils in Creggs have spent months preparing—learning coding, engineering skills, teamwork and problem solving along the way.
Their teacher, Conor Rabbitte, said the project has energised the entire class.
“There’s loads of learning in it for the children—teamwork, imagination, coming up with new ideas,” he told the Roscommon Herald.
This is the school’s second year entering the competition. Creggs NS fielded two teams in the regional heat in Galway—Excavation Experts and Goo Busters. The Goo Busters impressed judges and were selected as a wildcard entry for the national finals. The school’s LEGO kits were sponsored by Medtronic.
The students’ robot is based on this year’s theme, ‘Unearthed’. Drawing on their knowledge of maths, history and science, the team created a functioning robot designed to assist in the collection of archaeological artefacts. The robot sprays a biodegradable gel to stabilise fragile artefacts, preserving them for safe recovery.
Pupil Elva Hegarty said the project “makes me look forward to learning maths and science.” Classmate Beth Kelly added: “It’s fun doing the laptop work and different missions—it's all fun.”
During the national competition, robots coded and controlled by pupils must complete a series of challenging tasks on a game table. The team’s ‘innovation project’ will also be assessed, requiring a presentation and display for a judging panel.
Local priest Fr Pravin praised the initiative, saying: “Ireland needs innovation, and it begins in schools. Especially in rural Ireland, students have such imagination.”
The Creggs pupils will showcase their STEM skills at the national finals today, March 21st in Swords, County Dublin.
Should they win, the team will go on to represent Ireland at the LEGO League international finals in Leipzig, Germany.
* Aoife Hynes visited the school to chat to the pupils about the project. Click on the link below.
