Vicenza Elementary Shines at 2026 DoDEA Europe FIRST LEGO League
The 2026 DoDEA Europe FIRST LEGO League tournament wrapped up this week, and Vicenza Elementary School had an outstanding showing!
On Tuesday, nine VES teams competed in the sectional round, and each group represented our school with teamwork, resilience, and enthusiasm. Students communicated effectively with their teammates, supported one another, and navigated the maze of mission challenges with confidence and creativity.
This year’s theme, “Unearthed,” invited students to dig deep—literally and figuratively. Many of our young engineers unearthed new strengths, whether in coding their robot, problem‑solving under pressure, or collaborating to refine their strategies. We are incredibly proud of the dedication and growth shown by all of our robotics students throughout the season.
The excitement continued into Thursday’s final competition, where four VES teams—Cookie Monsters, The Cookie Council, Robo Girls, and Blue Dozer—advanced to the championship round! These teams faced the challenge of completing as many missions as possible in just two minutes and thirty seconds, requiring quick thinking, precise coding, and calm under pressure. Their performances were impressive, and their sportsmanship was exceptional.
Robotics challenges students to build more than just robots. Throughout the season, our students strengthened skills such as:
- Coding and computational thinking
- Engineering design and iteration
- Problem‑solving and troubleshooting
- Communication and teamwork
- Creativity and innovation
- Perseverance and time‑management
These are powerful skills that support students not only in STEM, but across all areas of learning.
We are extremely proud of every student who participated this year. Their hard work, curiosity, and collaboration made this season a success, and we are excited to see how our young roboticists continue to grow and explore the ever‑expanding world of coding and engineering.
