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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

STEP LEGO team takes Judges' Award at Finger Lakes FIRST LEGO League Championship


It took many hours of hard work, dedication, willingness to try something new, creativity, focus, passion, and teamwork… it is my great pleasure to announce that the STEP LEGO team, the Zuper Klimate Koolerz, earned the Judge’s Award at the Finger Lakes FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Championship Tournament last Sunday!

Nearly 100 teams of 9-14 year old students from the local area participated in six qualifying tournaments and only the top 36 advanced to the high-energy, sports-like championship event at the University of Rochester.  Of this top tier of competitors, the STEP team received special recognition for all-around excellence – in their robot performance, their research project, teamwork, and their presentations. 

The Zuper Klimate Koolerz dramatically improved their robot’s design and dependability in the two weeks between the tournament qualifier and the championship.  The team also continued to work on their research project which, under the FLL topic of “Climate Connections,” investigated a solution to pollution in the Genesee River.  Last Wednesday, the team actually toured the VanLaer Waste Water Treatment plant to learn how the water bugs that naturally clean the river are utilized in the plant. 

The team is scheduled to present their outstanding science research project to the City of Rochester’s “Green Team” in January. 

STEP is about turning potential into success.  The accomplishments of the Zuper Klimate Koolerz are a testament to MCC’s support of youth in our community and evidence that putting resources in the hands of youth from historically underserved and underrepresented groups can have a significant impact.  I am proud to have been part of this accomplishment. 

Zuper Klimate Koolerz:  Diamond Winfield, Alexis Thompson, Sasha Reyes, Zipporah Ross, Najua Baaith-Mercado, Deodrick Barnes, Duwayne Harding, Jamal Brown, Darean Jeffcoat-Cummings, Chyron Brown-Wallace, Atlaure Hayes, Tyshon Jones (student coach), Dominique Robinson (student coach), Brandon Barnes (student coach)

** A special note of thanks goes out to the STEP staff for their above-and-beyond effort with this project:  Tom Zaccardo (first coach), Adam Nogaj, Sean Soper (AmeriCorps),  Ashley Simmons, Will Rogers, Bill Thomas, Joshua Virgin-Bryan, Regina Jenkins (Human Services intern)

Donna Augustine
Science & Technology Entry Program (STEP)
12/11/2008