On Thursday, May 8, 2014, Ms. Kalpana Rajgopalan, Mr. Jude Kelly, Mr. Chris Slosser and Ms. Denise Wallace of the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM) presented a congratulatory plaque to the Head of School, Mrs. Eileen Daunt, in recognition of the Bayview Glen Ctrl-Z Robotics Team which captured the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Ontario East Provincial Robotics Championship in January 18, 2014. The five-member team, consisting of Grade 6 to Grade 10 Bayview Glen students, Luca D’Alessandro, Alex Alexiev, Alex Mark, Chris Alexiev and Justin Borromeo, have qualified to compete on June 4 to 7, 2014 at the FLL International Open hosted by the University of Toronto and FIRST Robotics Canada.
FLL is an international robotics program for 9 to 16 year olds (9 to 14 in U.S./Canada/Mexico) in which teams create, program and compete autonomous robots designed to accomplish tasks associated with a real-world challenge. Teams are also required to conduct a research-based project related to the theme for that year’s competition. This season, the competition theme is “Nature’s Fury”, focussing on what can be done when intense forces of nature meet the places people live, work and play with a challenge to develop an innovative solution that helps people prepare, stay safe or rebuild. Approximately 20,000 teams in over 70 countries participate in FLL with over 420 teams competing in the Province of Ontario.
Team Ctrl-Z credits its research project success to a November 2013 OFMEM presentation on the subject of natural hazards and personal preparedness. The team’s innovative solution, the Upright Light, came as an inspiration following discussions and guidance from OFMEM staffers. The Upright Light is an untippable safety candle holder that reduces the risk of fires during winter storms and other natural disasters. It is made of a cubic frame that supports a candle holder using two axles that allow the bottom-weighted holder to pivot on two axes. The rotation allows the candle to always face upright, even when knocked over. As the candle can right itself immediately, the risk of surrounding objects catching fire is mitigated. Candles are invaluable for their light and heat output and the team’s invention allows candles to be used safely while the power is out, particularly during ice storms, when the supply of electricity is often interrupted.
Bayview Glen has participated in FLL for six years, has competed at international-level tournaments four times, now fields three successful FLL teams and has hosted FLL regional qualifying tournaments for the past two years. In addition, the School offers a Junior Robotics Club for Grade 4 and 5 students to introduce the concepts of engineering, programming, research and teamwork to younger children.
Photo Caption:
Head of School, Eileen Daunt, and Team Ctrl-Z being presented with a congratulatory plaque by Kalpana Rajgopalan and her colleagues of the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management. From left to right, Jude Kelly, Chris Slosser, Luca D’Alessandro, Kalpana Rajgopalan, Eric Borromeo, Alex Mark, Chris Alexiev, Eileen Daunt, Alexia Moliotsias, Justin Borromeo, Alex Alexiev and Denise Wallace
by Ms. Alexia Moliotsias, Bayview Glen Ctrl-Z Team Coach and Grade 8 Teacher, and Mr. Eric Borromeo, Bayview Glen Ctrl-Z Team Coach and Parent
