NORFOLK, Neb. -- The first Lego League Mini Challenge hosted by Northeast Community College took place on Saturday, Jan. 18. The event involved middle school students from fourth through eight grades using Lego robotics to complete a number of challenges under a tight deadline.

“It's an amazing entry-level robotics program to get kids to learn about how to build as a team, and how to program as a team,” said Rob Haake, Lego League Mini Challenge Organizer and coach.

Throughout the day, nine local teams from Northeast Nebraska learned about a seasoned theme and built robots to solve a series of missions. With 15 missions in total, each team was given two and a half minutes to accomplish as many missions on the board as possible.

They were able to bring in pre-built and pre-programmed robots using sensors that navigate their way across the board. To control their robots, students coded on a computer or an iPad. All of the skills taught and learned from the tournament tie into careers like robotics, manufacturing, and engineering.

Another big part of the program is the students' core values of discovery, teamwork, and innovation related to the theme on how to create a successful design.

“They actually come up with a product to solve that challenge in the real world," said Henry Goeden, Northeast Community College Robotics trainer. "So, this year it's around oceans with the submerged theme, and teams will come up with a real-world product that they can use to solve a problem that exists today.”

This was the first Lego League in northeast Nebraska and served as a guide to prepare the students for the state championship in three months.