JAY — The SMART Central Maine LEGO League Qualifier will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, at Spruce Mountain High School. The event is free to the public.

The qualifier is one of three that will be held around the state this year because of the increasing popularity of the FIRST LEGO League program. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

Students, ages 9-14, form teams to design, build and program robots using LEGO Mindstorms kits.

Trash Trek is the theme this year and all teams will be dealing with waste management issues. Each team will give a five-minute presentation on a concern and an innovative solution.

Adviser Dan Lemieux said there are raffle prizes valued at $700. Many are LEGO kits, some of which are no longer available for purchase. There will also be a 50/50 raffle and food available all day to help raise money for SMART to attend the FIRST World Competitions in St. Louis, Mo., next spring.

By hosting a LEGO League state qualifier, SMART also hopes to gain points toward the prestigious Chairman’s Award. The most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. 

Spruce Mountain Middle School will have four teams competing Saturday. Each team has researched an issue related to waste management and will be sharing its solution during a five-minute presentation. Each team must also successfully complete several tasks using the LEGO Mindset kit robot it built for the competition.

The middle school teams are among more than 30 who will vie for the right to compete at the state competition at the Augusta Civic Center. Two other qualifying meets have also been scheduled this fall.

Saturday’s schedule of events: 

9 a.m.: Doors open

9:30 a.m.: Opening ceremony

10 a.m. to noon: Morning judging

Noon to 1 p.m.: Lunch

1 to 3 p.m.: Robot competition

3 to 3:45 p.m.: Playoff

3:45 p.m.: Award ceremonies

For more information, call Dan Lemieux at 207-897-4336 or email DLemieux@rsu73.org.

pharnden@sunmediagroup.net