Their student-designed winning robot was nicknamed S.C.A.R. — standing for smooth, careful artifact rescue — which references this year’s competition theme of archaeology.

Along with the elementary students’ title win, they accumulated 210 points during one of S.C.A.R.’s mission challenges and ranked 15th out of more than 40 competing schools.

Students were not only graded on their robots, but also on their presentation as well, elementary school Principal Kevin Edmondson said.

During three different breakout sessions over the daylong competition, students were asked to present their robot to a judging panel and explain how their creation would solve real-world archaeological issues or function in a realistic setting.

The best robot design award was made from yellow and black LEGOs. Courtesy photo

The program is building leaders, Edmondson said, because they are actively learning 21st century life skills.

“They now know what it’s like to be interviewed and they understand when judges are interviewing them for answers,” he said. “They learned that whether they got a trophy or not, they’re already successful for going through that process.”

At the board meeting, Edmondson said students “hit the ground running” by taking home a title in their first competition.

Seeing the FIRST LEGO program’s success, elementary school teachers and league coaches Suzanne Wicker and Brandon Ickes ordered more LEGO kits to integrate into the regular curriculum and “into the hands of our kids as early as second grade,” Edmondson said.

“We’re going to expand this program, not just at the competition level but in the curriculum every single day,” he said.

Courtesy photo

Students then showed their competing robots to the board and explained each robot’s design and function. At the end of their presentation, they each received a paper certificate signed by Superintendent Brian Helsel and Edmondson.

The board also approved purchasing each league member a jacket with the embroidered message, “Inaugural Claysburg-Kimmel elementary team best robot design.”

Those students were “so excited, prideful and really passionate,” Edmondson said. “We’re excited that a little school can win academic awards.”

After the students and their families left the board room, Helsel said that the district should expand the FIRST LEGO program into the junior high level next year.

“I don’t think we have an option,” he said after hearing positive feedback from the elementary school students. “That needs to happen.”

Assistant Superintendent Brannan Raptosh also noted how the students not only understood what engineering is, but also how to apply it to a project.

While talking to Edmondson, who brought the FIRST LEGO League program into the district in fall 2025, Raptosh said, “These kids sat here tonight and embraced what engineering is and talked at length about the things they engineered, which is such an awesome thing that you brought in.”

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.