CHAMPAIGN - Three Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Robotics teams excelled during competition among 64 teams competing in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Central Illinois State Tournament at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign on Saturday.

FLL is a robotics program for 9 to 14 year olds which is designed to get children excited about science and technology, as well as teach them valuable life skills.  Along with programming robots, teams are also evaluated on an elaborate research project, as well as how well they demonstrate FLL Core Values, which include teamwork, collective learning, active participation and gracious professionalism. After practicing and preparing for months, teams meet at regional qualifying tournaments to be graded on the three elements, with top teams advancing to state competition.

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GIR! from Staunton won the Research Award, which FLL states “recognizes a team that utilizes diverse resources to formulate an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the problem they have identified.

SWAT from Troy was a finalist for the Project Award, for their excellent research project.

Purple Robot Penguins was a finalist for the Core Values Award, which recognizes teams that exemplify “the fundamental elements that distinguish FIRST LEGO League” and include teamwork, active participation, friendly competition and gracious professionalism.