The WACO Middle School Lego team is on its way to the state tournament. The team of 7th and 8th grade students competed at the regional tournament December 14th at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. That was one of 15 regional sites across the state, hosting 20-30 teams each. As part of the competition the Warriors had to complete two interviews regarding core values and robotic design, make a project presentation before a panel of field experts, and perform a best-of-three programmed robotic run with a Lego robot they built to complete missions. This year’s theme was to identify a problem with a building or public space in your community, design a solution, share that solution and refine it. The Warriors chose a city well issue and water conservation using rainwater capturment.

The Warriors were awarded first place in the core values category, and fourth in the programmed robotic portion. They were one of eight teams to advance to state. The team is made up of Tanner Egli, Isaac Rich, Jessica Unternahrer, Wyatt Dennis, Cameron Rinner, Colton Leichty and Coaches Kori Rich and Carl Unternahrer. The WACO Lego team will participate in the state meet January 18th and 19th at Iowa State University in Ames.