Porthleven School has just participated in a really exciting project. Through this competition, their artistry and teamwork led to a well-deserved recognition, but more importantly, supercharged their advancement in STEM education. The Lego League Regional Final, hosted by a base of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) Culdrose at Helston, was a huge success drawing in around 450 primary school pupils, including some of the future talented engineers from Porthleven.
The students jumped into a super fun, hands-on set of activities. They programmed and constructed Lego robots to accomplish various missions on a competition tabletop. The theme for this year’s competition is archaeology. It allows students to explore the amazing intersection of engineering and history as they hone their technological abilities in a stimulating setting.
Felicity Blight, the school secretary at Porthleven School, highlighted the value of experiences like these for student growth. She noted, “It really builds on their STEM learning, they get to do a lot of coding and a lot of teamwork.” And because the collaborative and hands-on nature of the tasks drove students to work with one another, students developed a sense of problem-solving skills and friendship.
One of the participants was Elowyn, a high school student who shared her thoughts about this special opportunity during the event. She stated, “It’s a great experience for kids our age because you’re learning and still having fun.” Elowyn’s feelings were the prevailing mood of the entire competition, as students pushed through complex challenges and shared hearty laughs over their successes and breakthroughs.
George Slater, one of the organizers of the event and its tireless promoters, bragged on the bounce-back-ability of the teenage challengers. He remarked, “The robots are not perfect, they will go wrong and they do go wrong, but the children get through that and persevere.” As Slater continued, he couldn’t hide his pride at seeing the future generation of naval engineers learning through such hands-on activities. “It’s really great to see the potential naval engineers of the future having loads of fun, getting engaged in this sort of activity and doing some really impressive coding,” he added.
Pupils like Tamsin Melville from Helston and George Thorpe from the South West joined their peers in this celebration of creativity and innovation. The event was a chance to see their remarkable skills and talents on full display. It served to underscore the critical role that STEM education plays in equipping students to face our world’s greatest challenges.