More than 160 LMSD fourth and fifth graders took part in the 2025 FIRST Lego League Tournament held at Black Rock Middle School.

The 11 participating teams were presented with three challenges:

• Develop and present a real-life solution to promote problem-solving related to our oceans
• Demonstrate the core values of sportsmanship
• Design, build and program a Lego Spike Prime Robot to accomplish a series of complex missions

Teachers served as team coaches, encouraging the students to persevere through the challenges. Students from Lower Merion High School’s DAWGMA Robotics Team and Black Rock's Leadership Team helped evaluate the student presentations, judged robot designs and served as referees. 

Students coded the robots they designed to autonomously navigate a path through a variety of challenges during a two-and-a-half-minute mission. They also presented their research related identifying and solving problems in our oceans. 

At the end of the competition, each team was acknowledged with an award for robot design, robot programming, innovation research, teamwork, advanced engineering, research, team spirit, creativity or for offering a unique solution. But the biggest takeaway was the excitement about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) that each student shared.

You can see photos from this year's event in the slideshow below.