Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Team 'Green Tooth' from Boones Ferry Primary heading to Lego Robotics championship

This team is one of just a few primary school entries

• By: Josh Kulla  
• Published: 12/22/2009 2:59:48 PM

Photo By: Josh KullaTeam Green Tooth
Boones Ferry Primary School's Team Green Tooth and its eight members are headed to the state finals after finishing third at a qualifying event at Mentor Graphics.

Do I avoid obstacles? Or simply run them down in their tracks?

The possibilities and choices are endless in the various U.S. FIRST robotics competitions, which feature teams of robots working together to solve problems in a fast-paced competitive environment. Students involved range in age from 6 through 18, while the technology used starts with Lego model kits and ends with custom-made, six-foot tall robots with multiple working appendages capable of speeds up to 25 miles per hour.

“One of the things they’re learning is that learning about technology and science is fun and cool,” said Mary Pettenger, team leader of Green Tooth, the West Linn-Wilsonville School District's newest – and youngest –  Lego robotics team from Boones Ferry Primary School in Wilsonville.

“You can do really exciting things with it,” she said. “I really want to get them all excited today about what the future will be, so in that sense I love this opportunity.”

This year, it’s a group of fourth- and fifth-grade students at Boones Ferry who have jumped on board the robotics bandwagon, inspired in part by the exploits of Wilsonville High School’s Team Error Code Xero over the past several years.

On Sunday, nearly four months of hard work came to fruition from team Green Tooth, as they charged their way to a third-place finish at the U.S. First Lego League tournament at Mentor Graphics headquarters in Wilsonville. It was one of six qualifying tournaments held around Oregon over the weekend. The top six teams at each of those events now moves on to the Jan. 16-17 state championships in Hillsboro.

\“I had no clue,” said team member Patrick Murphy. “We are a rookie team. I didn’t know what to expect.”
Now, perhaps, they do.

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