Legos, Learning & Lots of Cheers at FIRST LEGO League Competition

January 14, 2026

Legos, Learning & Lots of Cheers at FIRST LEGO League Competition

It was a day packed with Legos, laughter and a whole lot of brainpower as 270 student engineers put their skills to the test at the FIRST LEGO League competition on Jan. 10, hosted at Roxboro Road Middle School in the North Syracuse Central School District. Students in grades 4-8 designed, built, and coded their own LEGO robots, then cheered them on as they tackled a series of challenges on the competition stage.

Organized by OCM BOCES E-Learning Coordinator Amy Keesey and the Model Schools team, the event has grown dramatically since it began five years ago with just a handful of teams. This year, 27 teams from 12 districts took part in the action-packed event in front of hundreds of families and guests in the Roxboro auditorium. Participating districts included Baldwinsville, Cazenovia, Cortland, DeRuyter, East Syracuse-Minoa, Fabius-Pompey, Fayetteville-Manlius, Jamesville-DeWitt, LaFayette, Marathon, McGraw, and North Syracuse. 

This year’s theme, “Unearthed,” challenged teams to take on archaeology-inspired missions. Robots were tasked with pushing, pulling, and lifting objects on a themed game board, all within a set time limit. Volunteer judges in black-and-white striped shirts monitored the games and kept score with pencils and clipboards. 

Some team members manipulated the robots; others clapped wildly from the sidelines. The audience, welcomed into the building for the final rounds, had close-up views of the action on two large projection screens on either side of the stage. Model Schools teacher-trainer Dan Hacker served as the event’s emcee and DJ, announcing teams and calling the action on the competition boards.

Innovation Projects

Beyond the excitement of the robot matches, teams shifted gears in another part of the school, where they showcased their “Innovation Projects” to a panel of judges. These presentations challenged students to dream up creative solutions to real-world problems faced by archaeologists. One standout example came from a team at East Syracuse Minoa (ESM), called the “Cheetahbots,” which built a prototype “cart” designed to help archaeologists easily transport tools and scan artifacts in the field. 

“When our team 'unearthed' this year's theme, we were excited to learn more about the world of archaeology,” said one of the Cheetahbot coaches, Justine Hill, a teacher at ESM. “We invited Claire McMahon, a local archaeologist with the firm EDR in Syracuse, to speak with us about the many problems archaeologists face in the field. We developed a cart system that we hoped would address several of those challenges, including transporting tools to and from dig sites, scanning artifacts for record keeping, and lightening the load of supplies that archaeologists have to carry.”

Before the competition, the team presented its prototype to McMahon, who loved it and inspired the group to improve their design by adding a device to clear away unsafe brush as it travels to a dig site.

“We used that feedback to create an even bigger and better prototype, fully equipped to handle all of those issues while navigating the rough terrain with the newly added suspension system!” Hill said. 

In the end, the Cheetahbots won the top Innovation Project prize at the Lego League competition.

Special Visitor

As all of this was taking place, school administrators across the region and other guests stopped by to soak in the excitement. For the second year in a row, the event caught the attention of New York State Board of Regents Member Patrick Mannion, who made a special visit to Roxboro to mingle with students, organizers and volunteers and get a feel for the competition first-hand. Mannion, along with parents, coaches, administrators, and other guests, offered high praise for Lego League, noting that it challenged students, gave them a chance to have fun and build friendships, and helped them develop skills that go far beyond building and coding robots.

“It was a fantastic undertaking,” said Laurel Chiesa, Director of Instructional Technology for the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District. “A huge thank you for providing a space for students to thrive, meet students with the same interests, and grow those soft skills as well as the engineering skills.”

After a full day of competition, five teams earned the highest overall scores and an opportunity to advance to the next level: a regional competition set for Feb. 7 in Buffalo. Cazenovia’s team, “The Peeps,” had an especially impressive showing, qualifying for regionals and also taking two of the top awards.   

Advancing to Regionals

• The Peeps (Cazenovia)
• Ancient Eagles (McGraw)
• Red RAM Robotics (Jamesville-DeWitt)
• Nervous Wrecks (Cortland)
• Rock Starz (Cortland)

Other Awards

The Champion Award recognizes the best all-around teams that excel in all four FIRST LEGO League core elements: Robot Game performance, Robot Design, the Innovation Project, and the FIRST organization’s Core Values, which are discovery, innovation, impact, teamwork, inclusion, and fun.

Champion Award Winners

• First Place: The Peeps (Cazenovia)
• Second Place: Ancient Eagles (McGraw)
• Third Place: Red RAM Robotics (Jamesville-DeWitt)

Specialty Awards

• Robot Performance: The Peeps (Cazenovia)
• Robot Design: Binary Busters (LaFayette)
• Innovation Project: Cheetahbots (East Syracuse Minoa)
• Core Values: Woodland Fossil Detectives (East Syracuse Minoa)
• Judges Award (for exceptional effort, perseverance, or unique accomplishments): Nervous Wrecks (Cortland)

Congratulations to all of the students for their outstanding performances and infectious enthusiasm. A huge thank you to the advisors, judges, volunteers, Model Schools team members, the North Syracuse Central School District, and everyone who helped make this exciting day of learning and innovation a success.

First Place & Regional Qualifier: The Peeps (Cazenovia)		Second Place & Regional Qualifier: Ancient Eagles (McGraw)		Third Place & Regional Qualifier: Red RAM Robotics (Jamesville-DeWitt)
Robot Performance: The Peeps (Cazenovia)		Robot Design: Binary Busters (LaFayette)		Innovation Project: Cheetahbots (East Syracuse Minoa)
Core Values: Woodland Fossil Detectives (East Syracuse Minoa)		Judges Award (for exceptional effort, perseverance, or unique accomplishments) & Regional Qualifier: Nervous Wrecks (Cortland)		Regional Qualifier - Rock Starz - Cortland