In the middle of all the excitement leading up to the State Class M Football Championship, I was at Ledyard Middle School on Friday, Dec. 9, and a teacher mentioned how great it was that "we" are in the state finals.

Of course, I assumed he was referring to the big football game being played at UConn's Rentschler Field on Saturday, and I mentioned that I planned to attend the game. The teacher, Mr. Kobelski, said the game was exciting, but he was actually

referring to the state finals of the middle school robotics championship. He explained that the Ledyard Middle School robotics team had advanced to the state finals and was preparing to compete at Central Connecticut State University on Sunday, Dec. 11.

I was struck by the wide range of accomplishments of our students; we have a football team that many observers thought would be average by Ledyard standards; however, the team earned a berth in the state finals with an impressive record of 11-1. The middle school robotics team had been preparing for regional competition in the First Lego League since early September and had won first place in the robotics competition held in November at Old Lyme Middle School. That impressive performance earned them a spot in the state finals along with 47 other middle school teams.

Both our football and robotics teams entered their respective contests with the best wishes of fans and community members. The football team played a fine game against perennial powerhouse Ansonia High School; while it's true that they lost the game, the players and coaches earned great respect for the amazing season they enjoyed and for the excellent way they represented our high school.

The middle school robotics team also earned enormous respect; they won the robotics component of the competition by placing first out of a field of 48. The team coached by LMS technology education teacher, Mr. Keith Kobelski, explained that the

students were required to use Lego blocks to construct an obstacle course, research a science issue related to food, and then build a robot to detailed specifications. The LMS team chose to research food-borne illnesses and constructed an obstacle where the robot was programmed to perform a variety of tasks

including delivering virus cultures to a lab and catching a rat.

On the day of the finals, the entire gymnasium of Central Connecticut State University was filled with middle school robotic teams; each team had to perform the prescribed tasks using the student-programmed robots.

Mr. Kobelski noted that the competition is an outstanding opportunity to engage students in science, math, technology and engineering. The contest required students to research a significant science problem, employ math and technology skills, and then design a robot using advanced engineering knowledge to achieve the goals.

Dr. Michael Graner is the Ledyard Superintendent of Schools.