Robotics Teams
Bionic Panthers
The Good Shepherd Robotics team, the Bionic Panthers, is a fall activity. Students in grades 5-8 are eligible, however, there is a limit to the number of students that can compete. Team members are selected from interested students first by seniority of grade, and then by sign-up time. There is a $50 participation fee. Practices will be determined by the Coordinator’s availability. Practices run from mid-September through November. An informational meeting is held at the beginning of the season to review details of schedules, commitments and competition.
In 2020 our robotics team won the Innovation Model award for their LEGO build representing the Innovation Project of a social fitness app.
In 2022 our robotics team competed in the First LEGO League Minnesota State Championship tournament. This tournament included the top 15% of robotics teams from across the state based on qualifying regional tournaments from the previous fall. Good Shepherd’s team was one of six finalists (out of more that 60 teams competing) for the MN Programming Award, and won a Judges’ Award for using multiple programming languages in robot competition runs.
Jr. Robotics
FIRST LEGO League Explore introduces STEM to kids in grades K-3, through hands-on exploration. This team-based program (2-6 kids) works to develop technical and non-technical skills. Students discover programming, mechanical movement, working together, and the wonders of science.
There is a limit to the number of students and teams based on the number of volunteer parent coaches. The schedule is subject to change and provided by the coach. The requirement is two coaches, with no more than six students per team. A participation fee is required, which covers the cost of our national registration fee, theme set equipment, and festival registration fee.
January – March 2023 was our first Explore team. For example, that season ran for 10 weeks and met for 1.5 hours each week. Students had nine in-house meetings and had a noncompetitive festival with other local teams to showcase the culmination of that year’s provided theme to display and discuss what they learned.
