Following a series of five Qualifying Tournaments held at area schools, the FIRST^® LEGO^® League Long Island Championship will be held at Longwood High School on Sunday, March 5. The event, presented by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI), will feature problem-solving skills and creative thinking from 40 area teams, comprised of students ages nine to 14, for a chance to advance to the FIRST LEGO League World Festival.

Imagination and science will come together as the students and their mentors, demonstrate teamwork, competitive play, sportsmanship and sense of community in relation to this year’s theme, ANIMAL ALLIES^SM. This challenge requires the students to identify and solve real-world problems regarding the way that animals and humans interact and how these interactions can be improved. Students will present their research to a group of judges during the Project portion of the event.

FIRST LEGO League introduces young people to the excitement of learning with its partner The LEGO Group. Students are encouraged to explore and pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields both within the FIRST program and in their future education and careers.

Some of the teams competing in the Long Island Championship will also have the opportunity to participate at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival, to be held in conjunction with the FIRST Championship, from April 26 to 29, 2017, at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

“We are very excited to be able to present the FIRST LEGO League programs to students across Long Island,” says Bertram Dittmar, Executive Director, SBPLI. “Not only is this program a great way to build teamwork and sportsmanship skills in young people, but it is also a perfect way to introduce young people to the many benefits of a career in STEM fields. We look forward to seeing what the students come up with for this challenge!”

The following 40 teams have advanced to the Long Island FIRST LEGO League Championships, which will take place on March 5 at Longwood High School:

Tournament sponsors include School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc., Central Islip Public Schools, Mineola Public Schools, Longwood Central School District, Connetquot School District, LuHi Summer Camp Programs, FIRST, Brookhaven National Lab, The Stern Family, Sideboard Computers, LEGO Education – Robert Woods, Bank of America – Andy Margolin, Plainview-Old Bethpage School District, Sir Speedy of Plainview. National sponsors include National Instruments (NI), Rockwell Automation, 3M and LEGO.