District News

This winter, Bedwell Elementary School completed its first ever LEGO design contest in conjunction with World LEGO Day! BES students Nora Markley and Fionn Regan approached Technology & Design Teacher Allen Thurlow in the fall, proposing their idea of holding a Lego contest for their peers. Once they worked out the logistics, the contest was greeted with tons of excitement as the projects came pouring in! Over 100 different projects from all grade levels, Kindergarten through 4th, were entered into the contest. 

There were amazing designs, including robots, cars, towers, houses, sports fields, classrooms, a maze, and a giant Mr. T… as in Mr. Thurlow!  Students were encouraged to make original designs without sets and instructions, and to let their creative juices flow. There were so many projects that they couldn’t all fit in the large hallway display case. Over the course of a week, students from every classroom picked their favorite project and Mr. Thurlow, Fionn and Nora tallied up the votes, narrowing down the finalists. At lunchtime, students in the cafeteria voted on their favorite design from each category, building a LEGO brick on a plate to cast their vote! 
 
Winners received a beautifully sculpted 3D-printed LEGO minifigure equipped with a bronze platform and Bedwell logo on its hat. Parent Mike Donohue 3D-printed the prize minifigures and donated them to the cause; all students who participated received a Lego minifigure keychain. “We are so proud,” shared Fionn and Nora. “The project grew to something bigger than we thought it would be, and we want to thank everyone for participating!”

Congratulations to all 120 participants for their creativity and LEGO build, as well as to the following winners:

1st grade - Bedwell is A-maze-ing: Logan McGuire
3rd grade - Treehouse: Pierce Pfingst
4th grade - 4 Seasons Scene: Laine Vincent 
Best Group Project - Soccer Field: Noah Thurlow, Abby Ochs and Leo Arpino
Bedwell Overall LEGO Design Champion - Treehouse: Pierce Pfingst