Jr. FLL - Overview

Name: Starting Jr. FLL in Grand Junction
Type: Service, Creativity
Date: August- Mid-September 2016

Jr. FLL, or Junior FIRST LEGO League, is a program for grades K - 4 that aims to inspire kids to pursue the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) (just like all the programs of FIRST) through exploring a yearly concept in science-fair fashion, and creating a LEGO model to represent their understanding.

This is a self-motivated effort to bring the program of Jr. FLL to the Grand Valley, and to host a Jr. FLL Expo at the end of the teams' season that brings in teams from Mesa County and Garfield County in Colorado.

So far my progress includes informing myself about Jr. FLL to become the local contact for all local teams who are just starting to launch themselves into their seasons. I've been reaching out to local elementary schools (including Holy Family Catholic School and Pomona Elementary, and soon Caprock Charter School), the local Girl Scout Troops, and soon the Math and Science Center. I've secured Redlands Middle School as the location of the Expo Event through District 51, and I've been preparing to host a Kickoff Event at the public library for teams to get excited about starting the season and finish getting registered.

So far, the local interest has grown from 0 to 5 teams in Grand Junction, and from 2 teams in Garfield County to 4 teams. I'm excited to have a minimum of 9 teams attending the Expo Event, set for Mid- December. It should also be mentioned that I'm starting and mentoring one of the local teams. After this week, the focus will shift from garnering interest to getting volunteers for the event from both my Hi Fives Robotics Team and from Mesa State College students.

Here are my roles as Jr. FLL Grand Junction Coordinator outlined:
(I did this as a visual for Raleigh, who I'm mentoring in taking on the program for next year when I graduate, but found it appropriate to add it here now :)

Note: This is just an overview of the activity, a more reflective analysis is coming in the next post.

Jr. FLL GJ Coordinator

• Planning and Executing the annual Grand Junction Jr. FLL Expo at the end of the season
• Hosting a Jr. FLL Kickoff at the beginning of the Season
• Following up and making sure teams are registered at the beginning of the season
• Knowing Jr. FLL and being able to answer questions/ guide new teams through registration
• Being a link between Jr. FLL, the Hi Fives, and FIRST Representative in Denver.