FIRST LEGO League Challenge Kickoff Celebration & Conference
FIRST Canada, in partnership with Bayview Glen Independent School, was excited to offer a lineup of informative and engaging presentations at this year’s in-person Kickoff Celebration and Conference, which took place on Sunday, October 1, 2023! The Kickoff Celebration featured workshops by FIRST LEGO League Challenge teams, coaches and alumni from across the province! We have included the videos and presentations as a resource for you.
Sunday October 1, 2023
WORKSHOP TITLE AND LINK TO PRESENTATION
PRESENTER AFFILIATION & BIOS
Mythili, Shaan and Rachel are three current members of Ctrl-Z with a combined FIRST LEGO League Challenge experience of five years. Mythili and Shaan are in Grade 7, and Rachel is in Grade 8. Sophia, Aaron and James all began their FIRST LEGO League Challenge careers last season on the team BV3. Sophia and Aaron are in Grade 6, and James is in Grade 8
Charlotte is a Grade 8 student and a current member of Ctrl-Z. Matthew is a former member of Ctrl-Z, now in his first year of university, pursuing a medical degree. Ivan is a Grade 5 student and a new member of ConnecTech, Leah is a Grade 8 student, back for another season, and Kaylum is a former FIRST LEGO League Challenge team member and seasoned mentor.
Paolo is a Grade 7 student and a member of Ctrl-Z. Harrison is a Grade 12 student, formerly of Ctrl-Z. Raymond and Shaan are Grade 7 students and new to Ctrl-Z. Darius is a Grade 8 student and returning member of Ctrl-Z
Darius is a Grade 8 student and current member of Ctrl-Z. Stefano and Armaan are Grade 9 students and former members of Ctrl-Z. Borna is a returning member of ConnecTech, while Isabelle is new to the team. Both are in Grade 7.
Chloe is a former member of Ctrl-Z and Raymond is a new member but this is his 3rd season participating in FIRST LEGO League Challenge. Chloe and Matthew are former members of Ctrl-Z, while Mythili is a Grade 7 student and current member of Ctrl-Z.
Liliana, Liam, and Avi are Grade 7 students, back for a 3rd season with Operation CREATE. Tudor and Athan are both Grade 8 students on ConnecTech.
Jeff Laucke has been a mentor of a FIRST LEGO League Challenge Team 192 (Royal Thunder Robotics) since 2005 and Tournament Director of the Sarnia Qualifying Tournament since 2006. In 2008, he became a provincial referee; in 2014, he became the Head Referee for Ontario. He has also been a referee at 5 World Festivals and the Head Referee for the Canada Cup. He is also a lead mentor for FIRST Tech Challenge Team 19473 and FIRST Robotics Competition Team 8113. When not having robot fun time, he is a grade 7 and 8 teacher.
Eric Borromeo has been involved in FIRST for 13 years with experience in FIRST LEGO League Challenge coaching, judging FIRST LEGO League Challenge Innovation Project, Robot Design and Core Values, and head refereeing FIRST LEGO League Challenge Robot Game, and judging FIRST Robotics Competition Team Attributes.
Équipe Francobotique is a French-language team of students from two different schools in Aurora, Ontario. This team has learned to fully embrace the FIRST Core Values while working together on the robot and innovation project. Living up to their team motto of “Always improving!” has evolved from a first-year team discovering all that FLL Challenge offers to a regional, provincial and international champion’s award-winning team. What’s their secret to success? Always have fun while learning new things!
Calum Tsang serves as Ontario Provincial Judge Advisor for FIRST Canada and has volunteered for FIRST since 2003. He is the Senior Product Manager at Ford Motor Company in Oakville and holds a Masters degree in Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Richard has been coaching FIRST Lego League teams since 2007. He has run teams in classroom, extra-curricular and community-based settings.
STEAM Program for Youths is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower future leaders with the skills to tomorrow.
Code Warriors is a community-based team in Toronto, Ontario, with members ranging in age from 8 to 13. Their motto is: “Using brain power to gain knowledge for the greater good.” They are dedicated to fostering a passion for science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) among elementary school students in grades 4 to 12 through their Robotics and Coding programs. In 2022, Code Warriors made its debut in FIRST LEGO League Challenge, where they
participated in the qualifying tournament in December and achieved 3rd place in the Champion’s award. On January 15, they also secured the first-place Robot Design Award at the Ontario Provincial championship. Their journey is marked by a love for STEM activities and a strong commitment to learning and teamwork.
Brain Break: Core Values Activities for Long Meetings or Events
Tara is a Grade 7 student and returning member of BV3. Spencer is also in Grade 7 and a member of Operation CREATE.