IS 162 in the South Bronx Wins Citywide Robotics Competition

2/14/2003

From: Amy Shore of CEI-PEA, 212-302-8800 Marjorie Rios or Clara Katz, 718-292-0880, both for IS 162

NEW YORK, Feb. 14 -- On Saturday, February 8, 2003, The Lola Rodriguez de Tio Academy of Future Technologies at IS 162 won the 2003 New York City FIRST Lego League Tournament. This is a highly competitive robotics tournament that trains students to use Lego blocks and computers to solve challenges that urban planners face every day. IS 162 won the top prize, the Director's Award, which encompasses robot design, robot performance, research presentation, and teamwork.

As a result of their first-place finish, they have been invited to the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship on April 10-12, 2003 in Houston, Texas. Only 20 of the 2,500 schools that competed nationwide received an invitation to the championships. IS 162 is currently seeking financial support to send their team to the championships and represent the New York City public school system in this prestigious competition.

IS 162 is a CEI-PEA Annenberg Network School located in District 7 in the heart of the South Bronx. The IS 162 Robotics Team, called the "Bronx Ryders," is comprised of gifted and talented, general education and inclusion students from the 7th and 8th grades. The team competed against 115 schools from the five boroughs, including Manhattan East, Brooklyn Tech, Hunter High School, and IS 187-The Christa McAuliffe Educational Complex.

IS 162's rookie team impressed the judges after a potentially disastrous first round, about which one student commented that, "nothing seemed to go right." They are mentored by the Robotics Team of Morris High School, led by Gary Israel, which works in collaboration with Columbia University under the direction of college freshman Wayne Penn. Computer technology facilities for the team are provided by The Community in Schools PowerUp Lab at IS 162.

Verizon and LEGO Direct sponsored the 2003 New York City Invitational FIRST Lego League Tournament at Riverside State Park. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, was founded by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamden to inspire young people to pursue further studies and careers in science and technology. The 2003 New York City FIRST Lego League is a project of the David Packard Center of Polytechnic University.