On Saturday, January 12, the All Saints Academy Robotics Team, Mindstorms Mayhem, the reigning State Champions, repeated their winning performance in the First LEGO League Rhode Island State Championships.  Roger Williams University hosted the event which featured the 40 teams who earned spot in the finals by winning qualifying events held around the state last month.  In addition, to the title and trophy, the students each won a $5,000 (renewable for four years) scholarship to Roger Williams.  The team will be traveling to St. Louis in April to compete in the First World Festival.  There they will compete against 85 other championship teams from around the world.  The festival takes four days to complete and is a unique mix of cultures and skill sets, a true celebration of First LEGO League.

The team, pictured from left: Charlie Silveria, Regan McEnroe, Daniel Pantini, Alex Pratt, Alden Pratt and Xavier Lora dressed in royal blue coveralls to promote the automotive device they created for the research component of the competition.  This year’s theme is Senior Solutions.  The ASA team devised "Xcelerite", a chalk-sized widget that senses unusual pressure applied to a car’s accelerator.  The objective of the device is to help prevent accidents caused by accidentally using the gas pedal instead of the brake, a frequent cause of motor vehicle accidents among seniors.   To win, the team excelled in all three area of the competition, core values, research, robot design and competition.

After winning the State Championship last year, the All Saints team traveled to Florida to compete in the World Invitational. They finished in the top 10 in a field of 66.