This year marks a full decade since School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) began presenting FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. to students across the region. What began as a small (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) STEM-focused initiative for students age six to 10 has now grown into a powerhouse program aimed at igniting the creativity of children on nearly 100 teams. Each year, FIRST reveals a new and exciting challenge, dubbed this year as AQUA ADVENTURESM, for which students will have to do research and present their findings at one of three FIRST LEGO League Expos.

During this year’s Expos, which are slated to take place Saturday, March 3 at Mineola High School and Sunday, March 4 at Longwood High School, students are asked to navigate the uncharted waters of the Earth’s most important resource. Specifically, they were tasked with discovering from where everyday water resources come, and what happens on its way to consumers. After carefully selecting one way in which they use water and learning as much as possible about the process the water takes to get to that point, the students then work to develop a solution that improves upon the system.

“We are so excited to celebrate 10 years of presenting FIRST LEGO League Jr. to students across the Island,” says Rick Ramhap, Program Director and SBPLI/FIRST Long Island representative. “This program has been especially vital to elementary age students, who acquire real-world skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) necessary to succeed in today's high-tech workforce. As with all FIRST Long Island programs, we project continued growth in the years to come.”

For more information on SBPLI and the FIRST Long Island complement of programs, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.