Glen Carbon, Illinois – Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois hosted one of the first JrFLL Expos in the state of Illinois on Saturday at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC). Competing team came from Springfield, Red Bud, Saint Louis, O’Fallon, Belleville, Mascoutah, Charleston, Granite City and Washington Park More than 90 youth participated in the JrFLL expo.
“We were so excited to host our first JrFLL Expo and see all of the great work today’s youth are doing in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, “ said Emily Stanley, GSSI STEM Program Manager. “I was impressed with the competing teams and how much time and effort they put into the research and design of their Legos projects,” Stanley added.
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JrFLL is the youngest level of robotics program at GSSI, with girls ranging in age from 6-9 years old. The next level, FLL, involves teams creating an autonomous robot in addition to developing a unique engineering solution to a problem. In addition to FIRST robotics programs, GSSI also sponsors three BotBall teams, where girls use C+ programming to create two autonomous robots that compete against other teams.
JrFLL is a hands on program designed to encourage kids to explore concepts like simple machines, problem solving and engineering. The added benefit to the program is the expo – team members present their project to a panel of volunteers who ask them questions and encourage them to share their ideas. At the end of the competition, all teams are each recognized for their accomplishments with different awards.
Anyone interested in being a part of GSSI’s STEM program or would like to volunteer to help today’s girls explore the world of science, technology, engineering and math, can call Stanley at 618.692.0692 or e-mail at estanley@gsofsi.org.
The Girl Scout Mission is: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Today’s Girl Scouts not only enjoy camping and crafts, but they also explore math and science and learn about diversity, good citizenship, leadership and teamwork. Girl Scouting is the place where girls experience the fun, friendship and power of girls working together.
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois serves 14,000 girls and 4,800 adult volunteers in more than 40 counties in southern Illinois. Girl Scouting has inspired more than 50 million girls and women since its founding in 1912. Girl Scouting is focused on providing a premier Girl Scout Leadership Experience for girls in the 21st century, while ensuring the traditions and values that have been core to Girl Scouting since its beginning remain strong and relevant. Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is a not-for-profit organization supported by various United Ways throughout the region. Girl Scouts is a Proud Partner of United Way.
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