“I can’t believe we got this far.”

“Look at how simple our idea was in the first round.”

“It has changed so much.” 

You know you have had an impact on your students when they have insightful conversations about an ongoing inquiry outside of the classroom.  It is remarkable to hear terms such as “patenting”, “cost-benefit”, “service” and “salary” during their intense discussions.  However, keep in mind that they will also be same group of individuals that will inform you that none of this came easy.  Although they may have not believed me at the start, it is evident that the frustration has gradually turned into this ignited passion.

This Saturday, the Richland Huskies will compete against 17 other teams at the Global Innovation Award presented by XPRIZE.  This competition was designed to exhibit real-world, innovative solutions that FIRST LEGO League teams have created within the Project sector of the competition.  The winners of this round will be selected by experts in engineering, manufacturing and this year’s Challenge theme judges.

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to share our business pitch with a young entrepreneur.  Joshua Clements is the founder of Sci-Tek.  His primary mission is to engage children in learning Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in a safe, creative learning environment.   Upon watching the teams’ presentation on the WormScope, Joshua was captivated.

“Wow, I must say it is a very impressive pitch, your youth has done an amazing job.  The pitch is looking amazing so far.  With a few tweaks, you will have done an extremely professional pitch.  The judges will love you.”