LEGO Championships this weekend in Columbus

Purdue Polytechnic Columbus will host the FIRST LEGO League Southern State Championship this weekend. It will be held on Saturday at Foundation for Youth.

School officials say that 31 teams from around the state will come to Columbus to compete for a spot in the World FIRST LEGO League Competition in St. Louis later this year. Teams will represent the top placing teams from eight qualifying tournaments across the state.

“Our sponsorship of FIRST LEGO League is a natural fit to our mission to educate the next generation of problem solvers,” said Dr. Joe Fuehne, Director of Purdue Polytechnic Columbus. “By involving our campus faculty and students with FIRST LEGO League, we allow young students to see that the skills they are learning while having fun are the same skills they can cultivate as part of their career, and that we have the experts in our area who can help with that objective.”

Organizers say that teams consist of children in grades 4-8 and are typically organized at local elementary schools. These teams usually consist of 6-10 students and volunteer mentors. For more information about FIRST LEGO League in Indiana, visit www.indianafirst.org/first-lego-league.

You are encouraged to come watch the event in-person. Organizers say that the event will be streamed live, via a link on the Purdue Polytechnic Columbus Facebook page.