H-BC robotics team earns 'best robot design'

The Hills-Beaver Creek Secondary School was named Robot Design Champion at the First LEGO League challenge competition March 13 in Sioux Falls.
Judges selected the H-BC team named H.E.L.P. Heroes for their innovation in designing their LEGO robot named Pistachio.
“This team used outstanding programming principles and solid engineering practices to develop a robot that is mechanically sound, durable, efficient and highly capable of performing challenge missions,” organizers wrote on the competition website.
H.E.L.P. Heroes was the only team from Minnesota that competed at the in-person Sioux Falls event out of the 28 schools participating. Three schools were from northwest Iowa and the rest from South Dakota. Six schools competed virtually.
This is the first year of competition for the H-BC team.
“I was shocked to win in that category,” said Ava Steinhoff, a sixth-grader. “I am happy that we did; we all participate in that.”
In addition to Steinhoff, team members include students Mazzi Moore, Bailey Spykerboer, Gracie Fagerness, Rebekah Swenson, Gavin Voss, Carielynne Merson, Ava Steinhoff, Tatyana Williams and AJ Foote.
Lexi Moore is the adult adviser. “It was a great surprise to win for robot design,” she said.
Judges remarked on the H-BC team skills on the scoring sheet.
“Each (H-BC) teammate knew about the process and outcomes — great use of many teammates,” they said.
“… great engineering notebook — the documentation and decision-making process was outstanding. The kids knew the robot’s advantages and limitations.”
In the three robotic game competitions, H-BC scored 125, 200 and 170.
“The maximum points our robot could have earned, if everything went perfectly, would have been 240,” Moore said. “So 200 was an outstanding run.”