What international competition program is congruent with TEACH Rwanda’s
approach to joyful, creative, collaborative, learning through play and projects?
First LEGO League Challenge Robotics!
Here’s the compelling story of how our small TR demonstration school came to
be home of the first two LEGO robotics teams in Rwanda!
Serendipitous beginnings
Baby Sweet Pea started it all. TEACH Rwanda board members/volunteers Jan
and Bill were having dinner with their Rwandan grandson and his parents in a
Kigali restaurant. A friendly man from a nearby table came over to greet the
cute baby…he asked why two Americans were in Rwanda…he learned about
TEACH Rwanda…and he quickly introduced us to Eric Biribuze, a Burundian engineer who works at Corning Inc,. and who had been his best man in his wedding.
Bright School's first robotics team in their new T-shirts, in January 2022.
Eric Biribuze is in the middle, with the largest STELA logo on his shirt.
Eric Biribuze is in the middle, with the largest STELA logo on his shirt.
|
The wait to start a team was long, because COVID intervened. But Bright School students never forgot. At every week’s mobile library, operated while schools were closed, children asked, when will our robotics team start? At the same time, Eric began to form STELA—Science Technology Entrepreneurship Leadership Academy—a nonprofit in New York designed to bring robotics to underserved communities in Africa.
Click here to learn more about STELA. |
|
|
|
An amazing first year The 2021-22 robotics season was one of learning, for Bright School volunteer/teacher coaches and 10 students in P4, 5, and 6. We invented an interview system to choose team members…robotics kits arrived with instructions and two tablets from STELA…team leaders figured out along with children how to build and program robots…tables for competition mats were built…and the team met for 2 hours every Saturday. |
|
|
In January 2022, the Rwandan Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, visited Bright School. She observed integrated STEAM learning in our classrooms, talked with excited students, and nationwide support for robotics in education was firmly launched. |
|
|
In April, an open house was held for families of team members. Students coached their families on how to build robots and program them. Families were excited that their children could engage is such wonderful learning experiences. |
|
|
Interest in robotics remained so high that two weeks of Enrichment, after school ended in July 2022, were held. More, younger students were introduced to robotics and experienced team members focused on the first-ever Innovation Project, requiring local research to find solutions to local challenges for transportation of goods. Students built prototypes for shipping eggs and tomatoes. Participants were increasingly thrilled! |
|
|
Teams prepare to compete! In 2022-23, student and coach interest was so high that two LEGO roboticsteams were formed at Bright School, Alpha on Saturday and Beta on Sunday. Teachers eagerly volunteered to coach. STELA set the stage with the new competition kits and mats, more donated computers were found, and a Local Coordinator, Teacher JMV Sibomana, was named. |
Competition is fierce!
Bright School was one of only four primary schools, 27 secondary schools, and 350 students, to participate in the first-ever LEGO League competition on March 4 at the beautiful new Intare Arena in Kigali. Our teams cheered each other on at every opportunity. They took lots of photos of each other, met up with last year’s teammate Eunice, made amazing last-minute adjustments in programming, and were thrilled that the Beta team came home with a 3rd place trophy for Robot Design. |
In August 2022, a STELA/TR robotics open house was held at Africa Leadership University in Kigali for university students and local schools. National Coordinator Philemon is shown here introducing the LEGO robotics program to a full house.
Early in 2023, with the leadership of Philemon, Bright School’s teams were the very first Rwandan teams to be officially registered through Coderina Education and Technology Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Nigeria that coordinates STEAM in Africa. Click here to read more about CODERINA. Soon, Bright School’s two young teams asked for more time to build and program robots and work on the Innovation Project about Superpowered energy. Teams began to meet during Club time on Thursdays, and for 3 hours each weekend. Just before the winter holidays, our teams asked to come to school every day for robotics. And they did! Shortly after the holidays, Amelia, a young robotics enthusiast from the US who started STEM Inspires, paid a visit to Bright, and sparked even more excitement. Two interns from Africa Leadership University came to coach our teams with their innovation projects.
Students practiced their Innovation Project (Research) presentations and robot games at lunch, before an audience of appreciative TR and Bright School staff. At the last minute, P6 students met with local electrical company officials and adjusted their Innovation Project solutions accordingly. New team T-shirts arrived just in time for the competition |
|
Lasting impact
At the close of the first competition, Gaspard Twagirayezu, Hon. Minister of State in charge of Primary and Secondary Education told participants: “The challenges you solved using robots and code exemplify our real world. We are all impressed by how you demonstrated remarkable creativity and ingenuity in tackling these tasks. …As a result, we will be enhancing our science, elementary, and ICT courses in upper primary and secondary schools to include coding and robotics. Our competency-based curriculum aims to develop our students; ability to think creatively and solve problems. Today event has demonstrated that there is no better way to do this than through robotics and coding.” |
|
Bright Rwanda’s robotics team, 2022-23
|
Local Coordinator, JMV Sibomana, Bright School P6 teacher. Alpha team Ninette, Elis, Kelly, Christian, Kevin, Willy, Flaminia, Fabrice, Ineza, Blessing Alpha coaches: Teachers Lambert, Evelyne, Charlotte, Gregoire Beta team Bliss, Arsene, Arsene, Aliah, Allain, Ange, Chadia, Fabrice, Aliane, Ornella Beta coaches: Teachers Jean, Veronise, Mary Louise |
|
Bright School's robotics teams, 2023-24
2023-24 Preparations
During the 2023-24 robotics season, both Bright School robotics teams focused on further developing their creativity, analytical thinking, engineering skills, programming, and teamwork—including preparation for Rwanda’s regional and national competitions. Their efforts were with thanks to full support from STELA (Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship Leadership Academy) based in Corning, New York.
Success in Regional and National Competitions!
2024-25 LEGO robotics at Bright School
The 24-25 LEGO robotics season in Rwanda was very short. Our competition kits arrived in January 2025—and the regional competitions were on February 18!
Fortunately, Bright School’s experienced robotics coaches and returning as well as new team members at Bright School in Muhanga began to meet in September 2024. Students and coaches together researched, both online and in books, the Submerged theme in preparation for their Innovation Projects.
Many new books about robotics, oceans, sea life, and underwater explorations were added to the school library—after all, Rwanda is a landlocked country! Judith’s Reading Room’s generous donation was timely indeed. Samples of seashells and pretend sea animals were also added to our learning materials collection.
Fortunately, Bright School’s experienced robotics coaches and returning as well as new team members at Bright School in Muhanga began to meet in September 2024. Students and coaches together researched, both online and in books, the Submerged theme in preparation for their Innovation Projects.
Many new books about robotics, oceans, sea life, and underwater explorations were added to the school library—after all, Rwanda is a landlocked country! Judith’s Reading Room’s generous donation was timely indeed. Samples of seashells and pretend sea animals were also added to our learning materials collection.
Leonce, Bright School Head Teacher, presented the new books and seashells
during a rehearsal.
* * *
When the competition kits arrived, teams immediately assembled the complicated missions. The Rwanda Basic Education Board provided a coach mentor to each school.
With just a few weeks until regional competitions, our primary students had to analyze each mission to determine which ones to solve and how to solve them, measure angles, and calculate distances between missions and the launch points. Then they had to draft and design a robot with attachments to solve the missions (followed by testing and refining the robot). They programmed their robot to solve the missions they chose (and tested and refined the programs). Finally, they recorded the robot’s path on a map of the mat.
|
|
Just before the competition, students tested their robot’s performance. Watch this one in action!
* * * Students also had to write, edit, and practice two 5-minute engaging presentations. Their robot design presentation explained every step of the process to judges during the competition. Teams also created dramatic skits about their Innovation Projects—a lifesaving station and robot to search for underwater minerals. Both teams went to the regional First LEGO League competitions in Huye and proudly represented Bright School. All competitors, except for one other primary school, were secondary schools. |
Ready to roll! Alpha programmers, with their robot and its attachments,
were ready to compete in the robot game!
The Beta team quickly changed attachments during the robot game competition!
Bright School’s Alpha team explained their robot designed to detect minerals
on the ocean floor.
Bright School’s Alpha team explained their robot designed to
detect minerals on the ocean floor.
After the competition, our teams and coaches gathered to
celebrate their many accomplishments and the fun they had
together during the 24-25 LEGO robotics season.
celebrate their many accomplishments and the fun they had
together during the 24-25 LEGO robotics season.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Watch our YouTube video for even more about our team!
Interested in starting a team in your community? Find out why everyone benefits! We are happy to talk with schools and organizations in underserved areas in East Africa.