Volunteer Referees and Judges Needed for FLL Tournament, Nov. 21

Events, Opportunities

The LigerBots — Newton’s high-school robotics team — seeks adults to help host its official FIRST Lego League (FLL) qualifier tournament on November 21 at Newton North HS.  The event is open to the public (8AM-3PM) and will be a blast.  FLL is a STEM program for kids ages 9-14, and the LigerBots are doing all they can to foster the grow of FLL in Newton — in part because it’s seen as a great source of future LigerBots!  While FLL is known for its robotics component, FLL teams also compete on conducting and presenting research projects, as well as embodying and demonstrating FLL’s Core Values of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition®.  The tournament needs many adult volunteers who enjoy working with youth to serve as judges and referees:

  • Judges will work in pairs, in sessions consisting of 10 minutes with the team and 5 minutes in between.  Judges will be trained in FLL rubrics for their work, and the judges focused on research projects and Core Values do not need technical expertise.
  • Referees will work solo to oversee 2.5-minute robot competitions, adding up the scores after each match.  Referees must be fair, diplomatic, attentive to detail, and able to inspire kids and make them feel good about their work.  They may need to stand for long periods.

If you’d like to volunteer, or if you have questions, contact Pam Wright at pamwright@rcn.com.