Children Across Long Island Prepare for Another Great FIRST® Long Island Season – Presented by SBPLI

Organization Shares Excitement Over 2017-2018 Season Challenges for FIRST^® LEGO^® League Jr. and FIRST^® LEGO^® League

The School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) FIRST^® LEGO^® League Jr. and FIRST^® LEGO^® League seasons are officially underway across Long Island. Students and mentors from the programs, which collectively reach children in grades one through 12, are hard at work researching, designing, building, programming and testing models and robots that will best address the “Challenge” set forth this season.

During AQUA ADVENTURE^SM, FIRST^® LEGO^® League Jr., students (ages six to 10) will explore how water is used in a home or community, the journey the water takes and improvements that can be made to this process. These students will examine where water comes from, how it gets to homes and buildings, how and whether it is treated beforehand and approaches to water conservation. They will then select one way in which water is used, research the subject and design a solution to improve the journey using a kit of LEGO parts and software. Teams will then have the opportunity to present their models, along with a “Show Me” poster, during a series of three Expos held at Mineola High School on March 3, 2018 and at Longwood High School on March 4, 2018.

Echoing the water theme, FIRST^® LEGO^® League’s HYDRO DYNAMICS^SM, students (ages nine to 14) are tasked with identifying a problem within the human water cycle and finding a solution to the problem. Examples can include something as simple as quenching ones thirst or swimming in a pool, or as complicated as how water is used to produce food, energy and even technology, among other things. Once a problem has been identified, they students will then evaluate current solutions and subsequently design, build and test an innovative solution, using a LEGO MINDSTORMS^® kit, that adds value to society. The children will then present the solution during one of six different Qualifier tournaments being held at Great Hollow Middle School (January 20-21, 2018) and Mineola High School (February 3-4, 2018), with the chance of subsequently advancing to the Championship tournament at Longwood High School (March 4, 2018).

For more information on SBPLI and the FIRST Long Island complement of programs, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

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About FIRST^®  
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $30 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST^® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST^® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST^® LEGO^® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST^® LEGO^® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism^® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.firstinspires.org.

About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.
School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) is a fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses. His goal was to provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce, which resulted in the formation of over 100 partnerships. In 1999, SBPLI brought the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to Long Island, which featured just eight FIRST Robotics Competition high school teams. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRSTRobotics Competition has grown to over 50 teams competing each year. SBPLI also hosts Long Island’s annual FIRST LEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the FIRST LEGO League Junior Expos, in which over 2,000 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. In 2016, SBPLI added FIRST Tech Challenge to its roster of programs. For more information about the programs, or to learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.