Eighth Annual Half Hollow Hills Invitational Demonstrates STEM-Fueled Excitement Among Local School Districts

Postseason Competition Highlights Benefits of Robotics Programs for Students, Local Businesses and the Community

On Saturday, November 2, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) — also known as FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) Long Island — in cooperation with the Half Hollow Hills School District, will present the Eighth Annual Half Hollow Hills (HHH) Invitational at the district’s west campus located at 375 Wolf Hill Road in Dix Hills. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and the games will begin at approximately 9:00 a.m.

As one of many robotics programs supported by SBPLI, for promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, the HHH Invitational is designed to demonstrate the benefits of robotics programs to students, schools, communities and local businesses.

During the event, students and coaches from approximately 20 Long Island school districts will participate in an exciting and engaging learning environment that enhances problem-solving skills, cooperation and teamwork. Participating teams will compete under the rules and guidelines of the 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition challenge, dubbed DESTINATION: DEEP SPACESM Presented by The Boeing Company, and showcase their robots that performed in the SBPLI Long Island Regional earlier this year. During the Invitational, two three-team alliances will bring their robots to the playing field to solve a variety of problems to score points and win rounds.

Residents, teachers, administrators and business leaders from the surrounding areas are invited to attend and discover first-hand the benefits that FIRST Robotics programs provide students. This event is also the perfect opportunity for schools and organizations interested in starting a team to meet with SBPLI leaders and speak with participants to gather more information.

This postseason event commemorates the end of the 2019 FRC season on Long Island. Following the Invitational, teams will start to prepare for next season, which kicks off on January 4, 2020.

For more information on SBPLI or the FIRST Robotics Competition, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

Thirty-Nine Local FIRST® LEGO League Teams Head to Long Island Championship

Event to Take Place at Longwood High School on Sunday, March 3

Following a series of qualifiers, 39 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO® League teams from Nassau and Suffolk Counties are set to compete at the Long Island Championship at Longwood High School on Sunday, March 3. During the event, presented by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI), students ages nine to 14 will present their LEGO robots to address the challenge set forth in this year’s theme – FIRST INTO ORBITSM.

These teams were among the more than 200 that worked hard this season to research, design, build, program and test LEGO robots that address a problem astronauts have faced during space travel. Students evaluated current solutions to the problem they identified, and designed, built and tested an innovative solution using a LEGO MINDSTORMS® kit.

Students presented their solutions during one of six qualifier tournaments that were held at Mineola High School and Huntington High School in late January and early February. At the Championship, these teams will look to advance to the FIRST World Festival in Detroit on April 24-27.

This will be the 15th year that FIRST LEGO League has enabled students on Long Island to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through building and problem-solving. In addition, 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. FIRST’s history and long-lasting impact on Long Island will be honored at all events this year.

“It’s wonderful to see so many students getting excited about the FIRST LEGO League challenge this year,” says Stephanie Stern, Program Co-Director and FIRST Long Island representative. “I was so impressed by each team’s performance during the qualifiers and enjoyed seeing how many skills they picked up by participating in the program—everything from teamwork to Gracious Professionalism® to STEM education. I can’t wait to see what the students bring to the championship. Join us between 10 am and 2 pm, there is no admission fee.”

For more information on SBPLI and the FIRST Long Island continuum of programs, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org. The following 39 teams have advanced to the SBPLI Long Island FIRST LEGO League Championship, which will take place on Sunday, March 3 at Longwood High School:

The following 39 teams have advanced to the SBPLI Long Island FIRST LEGO League Championship, which will take place on Sunday, March 3 at Longwood High School:

Number Name Town
92 Sea Lions Seaford
376 RoboHawks Jericho
684 STOBOR Syosset
1087 BRAINSTORMERS Bayport
1139 HBT BOTS Syosset
2438 Camolbots Floral Park
2757 The Space Falcons Locust Valley
2758 Robotic Fire Lazer Falcons Locust Valley
4756 Diamond Cube Jericho
5357 Imagination in a Nutshell Jericho
6116 Rocky Point Robo Eagles Rocky Point
6435 Fire Dragons Rocky Point
8085 Rocky Point Radical Robotix Rocky Point
10425 Harborfields Library Purple LEGO Eaters Centerport
11362 Solar Flare Bears Stony Brook
11363 Bear Force One Stony Brook
13071 Indians Floral Park
14823 Teach Me How To LEGO Baldwin
15261 Rocken Robos Plainview
15262 Mattlin Pride Plainview
16174 Meteorites Hicksville
16286 The Humanoids Lake Grove
16374 Robo Innovators East Meadow
23785 Meteorites Squared Hicksville
26166 IP Pineapples Island Park
27741 Think Outside the Earth Jericho
27743 The Robosaurus Stony Brook
28779 Bethpage RoboEagles Bethpage
31704 Jack Abrams STEM-Agrinauts Huntington Station
33410 Taco Brothers Garden City
36990 Roslyn Space Turkeys Roslyn
37506 Microchip Cookies Plainview
37507 WALL-E-Workers New Hyde Park
37857 Time Travelers Island Park
38503 Techno Queens Jericho
39704 STEAM Mates New Hyde Park
39029 Mindstorms Masters Dix Hills
41891 Techo Clan Great Neck
41971 OLOW Nachoritos Port Jefferson

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About FIRST®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $30 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST®LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST®, go to www.firstinspires.org.

About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.

School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) DBA FIRST® Long Island is a fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses. His goal was to provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce, which resulted in the formation of over 100 partnerships. In 1999, SBPLI brought the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to Long Island, which featured just eight FIRST Robotics Competition high school teams. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition has grown to two events with over 80 teams competing each year. SBPLI also hosts Long Island’s annual FIRSTLEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the FIRST LEGO League Junior Expos, in which over 2,000 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. In 2016, SBPLI added the FIRST Tech Challenge to its roster of programs. For more information about the programs, or to learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

Elementary School Students Prepare for Three FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. Expos Taking Place at Mineola and Longwood High Schools

Organization Shares Excitement Over the MISSION MOONSM Challenge

Each year, FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO® League Jr. presents a new and exciting challenge aimed at igniting children’s creativity. For 2018-2019, that theme is MISSION MOONSM, which challenges students to think about space in ways they never have before.

Over the past few months, Long Island elementary school students, ages six to 10 years old, have identified problems that may arise for humans attempting to live on the moon. Just like astronomers, they have thought of solutions to big questions such as what they would eat and drink, how they would breathe, and what they would do for fun. While researching these questions, students have also designed and created LEGO rocket ships and moon bases. Students will present their research and creations with a “Show Me” poster at a series of three Long Island expos taking place as follows:

  • Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 a.m. – Mineola High School
  • Saturday, March 2 at 12:30 p.m. – Mineola High School
  • Sunday, March 3 at 7:30 a.m. – Longwood High School

This will be the 11th year that FIRST LEGO League Jr. has enabled elementary school students on Long Island to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). In addition, 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. FIRST’s history and long-lasting impact on Long Island will be honored at all events this year.

“Students have had so much fun while working on this challenge and have also learned a lot,” says Eileen Kaler, Co-Director, FIRST LEGO League Jr. “It is so inspiring to see kids get excited about STEM at such a young age! They are thrilled to show off their creations and all they have learned about space.”

For more information on SBPLI or the FIRST LEGO League Jr., please visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

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About FIRST®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $30 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST®LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST®, go to www.firstinspires.org.

About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.

School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) DBA FIRST® Long Island is a fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses. His goal was to provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce, which resulted in the formation of over 100 partnerships. In 1999, SBPLI brought the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to Long Island, which featured just eight FIRST Robotics Competition high school teams. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition has grown to two events with over 80 teams competing each year. SBPLI also hosts Long Island’s annual FIRSTLEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the FIRST LEGO League Junior Expos, in which over 2,000 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. In 2016, SBPLI added the FIRST Tech Challenge to its roster of programs. For more information about the programs, or to learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

FIRST® Long Island Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition

In 2019, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI), also known as FIRST Long Island, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition is targeted to students grades 9 to 12 and combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams are challenged to design a team “brand,” sharpen teamwork skills, and build, program and test their robots to perform prescribed tasks with and against a field of competitors.

The introduction of the FIRST Robotics Competition to Long Island was the convergence of SBPLI’s late Founder, Fred Breithut’s vision for the students of Long Island and the innovative program developed through FIRST. Fred Breithut, a former educator, founded SBPLI in 1984 to address the gap between the skills needed by Long Island’s business community and the relevant preparation provided by local school districts. In the first 15 years of its operation, SBPLI formed over 100 successful partnerships between high schools and local businesses.

Following an inspirational and captivating presentation in the late 1990’s by FIRST Founder Dean Kamen to the SBPLI Board of Directors, SBPLI was determined to make the commitment to bring the FIRST Robotics Competition to the students on Long Island. Under Fred’s leadership, guidance and persistence, SBPLI has tirelessly stayed on track to enhance and expand these incredible programs. Fred believed that industries on Long Island specializing in manufacturing, engineering and technology would require Long Island youth to become more educated, engaged and excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). FIRST Robotics would provide the perfect path for this to occur.

In 2000, the inaugural SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition was held under a tent at Suffolk Community College’s Ammerman Campus in Selden, with 23 teams participating. Since then, FIRSTRobotics Competition on Long Island has grown tremendously. In 2018, SBPLI – FIRST Long Island hosted 78 teams, requiring two, rather than one Regional event. In 2019, the Long Island Regional will host 85 teams, with 17 competing from foreign countries—the most in the Regional’s history.

This year’s events will take place on March 26 to 27 and March 29 to 30 at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. Each event will serve as a separate regional, with different teams competing in separate alliances and tournament rounds. At the conclusion of these events, some of these teams will advance to the 2019 FIRST Championship at either Houston, Texas from April 17-20, or Detroit, Michigan from April 24-27.

During the past twenty years, SBPLI has been proud to provide students with practical experience while helping the business community develop its future workforce. SBPLI is an all-volunteer organization funded by sponsorships and donations by industry, educational services, government and individuals who believe that STEM-oriented education will provide Long Island students with the tools and skills needed to enter the 21st-century workforce.

This year, Zebra Technologies has announced that it will co-sponsor both 2019 SBPLI Long Island Regionals.

“Zebra Technologies is excited to amplify its support and help SBPLI celebrate the 20th anniversary of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition,” said Melissa Luff Loizides, Senior Director of Human Resources and Community Relations for Zebra Technologies. “The use of our technology optimizes the gameplay and reflects our commitment to promoting education and STEM initiatives to give the youth of Long Island a performance edge.”

Festo USA , SBPLI’s initial and dedicated sponsor, has supported SBPLI for all 20 years.

“Looking at Festo’s core values of being ambtious, dependable, determined, visionary, and valuing each other, it was easy for Festo to recognize these same values in the students who particiapte in FIRST, making this a natural partnership that we felt was important to support,” says Richard Huss, President, Festo USA. “Over the years, we have seen the program grow and during the same time as our company has grown we have had the opportunity to have interns who had participated in FIRST and now have several engineers on staff who participated in the FIRST programs on Long Island, further strengthening our partnership.”

On January 5, SBPLI officially launched its 20th anniversary celebration with the FIRST Robotics Competition Kick-Off at LIU Post’s Tilles Center where students learned about DESTINATION: DEEP SPACESM, the challenge they must tackle during the 2019 season. At the event, several special guest speakers including sponsors, partners and alumni offered inspiring remarks to the teams about the FIRSTRobotics Competition and its lasting impact.

As the season continues, the organization will celebrate the significant anniversary by creating memento collages, video compilations of past competitions and interviewing current team members on what FIRSTmeans to them. These as well as robots from past seasons will be presented at the regional.

In addition to managing the FIRST Robotics Competition on Long Island, SBPLI dba FIRST Long Island has proudly expanded to provide all four FIRST programs, including FIRST LEGO League Jr. (for the past 11 years), FIRST LEGO League (for the past 15 years), and FIRST Tech Challenge (for the past 3 years).

“I can still vividly remember Dean Kamen enthusiastically sharing his passion with us about his dream of celebrating smarts and changing our culture by creating technology leaders and innovators!” recalls Joani Madarash, former Executive Director of SBPLI and current member of the organization’s Executive Management Team. “We didn’t miss a beat in embracing FIRST Robotics as an integral part of the SBPLI Mission. I still hear Fred Breithut’s words echoing… Folks, we must do this for our Long Island students!”

For more information on SBPLI and the FIRST Long Island progression of programs, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.firstlongisland.org/ .

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About FIRST®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $30 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST®LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST®, go to www.firstinspires.org.

About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.

School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) DBA FIRST® Long Island is a fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses. His goal was to provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce, which resulted in the formation of over 100 partnerships. In 1999, SBPLI brought the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to Long Island, which featured just eight FIRST Robotics Competition high school teams. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition has grown to two events with over 80 teams competing each year. SBPLI also hosts Long Island’s annual FIRSTLEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the FIRST LEGO League Junior Expos, in which over 2,000 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. In 2016, SBPLI added the FIRST Tech Challenge to its roster of programs. For more information about the programs, or to learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

About Zebra Technologies

Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) empowers the front line of business in retail/ecommerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare and other industries to achieve a performance edge. With more than 10,000 partners across 100 countries, we deliver industry-tailored, end-to-end solutions that intelligently connect people, assets and data to help our customers make business-critical decisions. Our market-leading solutions elevate the shopping experience, track and manage inventory as well as improve supply chain efficiency and patient care. Ranked on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for the last three years, Zebra helps our customers capture their edge. For more information, visit www.zebra.com or sign up for our news alerts. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About Festo

Festo is a leading manufacturer of pneumatic and electromechanical systems, components, and controls for process and industrial automation. For more than 40 years, Festo Corporation has continuously elevated the state of manufacturing with innovations and optimized motion control solutions that deliver higher performing, more profitable automated manufacturing and processing equipment. For more information on Festo please visit our website at www.festo.us or connect with us on: FacebookLinkedInTwitter and YouTube.

“DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE(SM)” Is Unveiled as 2019 FIRST® Robotics Competition Challenge during SBPLI-FIRST Long Island’s Regional Kick-Off

LIU Post Tilles Center Hosted More than 40 Local FIRST Robotics Teams, Mentors and Advisors, and their Families, at the Annual Event

[Brookville, New York] — The Tilles Center at LIU Post was abuzz with anticipation on January 5 as students, educators and families from across Long Island joined together for the unveiling of the 2019 FIRST® (For the Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition challenge, “DESTINATION: DEEP SPACESM” Presented by The Boeing Company.

In DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE Presented by The Boeing Company, alliances must deal with unpredictable terrain and weather patterns while attempting to collect as many cargo pods as possible during a two-and-a-half-minute match. Because of unforeseen factors during the match, remote robot operation is essential to their mission on the planet.

This year’s Kick-Off was especially exciting because 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Throughout the season, FIRST programs will commemorate and honor the history of the program on Long Island and its lasting impact.

Presented by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island (SBPLI), also known as FIRST Long Island, this annual event served as the official Kick-Off of the 2019 FIRST Long Island season and included a live broadcast of the game reveal direct to the Tilles Center. Hundreds of eager FIRST Long Island students and their parents and coaches listened with rapt attention as FIRST Founder Dean Kamen, FIRST Executive Advisory Board Co-Chair Woodie Flowers and FIRST President Donald Bossi discussed the program as well as the 2019 theme and objective.

“We are here to make sure you have the tools to cure cancer, build clean energy supplies, and make water, food, and cybersecurity available worldwide — to make the world a better, healthier place,” said Dean Kamen, president of DEKA Research & Development and founder of FIRST.  

Before the broadcast, members of SBPLI-Long Island FIRST, sponsors and alumni addressed the crowd, including FIRST Robotics Competition Co-Director Larry Toonkel, Executive Director Bertram Dittmar and Board Members Michael Canders and Jeffrey Stern. The presentation featured guest speakers from FESTO, Cradle of Aviation, Zebra Technologies and alticeUSA — all sponsors of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

Immediately following the game reveal broadcast, the visiting teams received pertinent competition details, a first-hand look at the game field, and were handed their build kits, which contain motors, batteries, a game “boulder”, an AndyMark brand parts kit, construction materials and software program login details, along with limited instructions.

“Leading up to the main competition, Long Island FIRST students will work with coaches and mentors to apply concepts of math, science and engineering to build their robots to meet the game’s objectives,” Mr. Toonkel said. “The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about the design and build of sophisticated robots, our students will also learn important concepts such as teamwork, problem solving and healthy competition. Over the years, FIRST students from Long Island received more than $8 million in scholarships for higher education, in areas of science, technology, engineering, business or math in college. These students also develop maturity, professionalism and teamwork skills that enrich their lives. Our graduates often pursue careers with sponsoring companies, meeting the businesses’ needs for well-rounded, technically skilled employees.”

“This Kick-Off event was a success from all perspectives,” said David Seinfeld, LIU Post Director of School Planning and Partnerships. “The students were inspirational. Their energy for the program, their honor for each other and their respect for the university’s facilities was truly outstanding.” LIU Post offers full scholarships to high school seniors with a 1300+ (28 ACT equivalent) and a 90+ GPA and is encouraging students from Long Island teams participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition to apply.

FIRST isn’t limited to Long Island; nearly 3,800 teams from all over the world came together as a community to share in the excitement of seeing the new game unveiled and will draw on this enthusiasm during the six-week build period that is available. During this time, all FIRST students will be asked to design, build, test and update their robots before the start of the 2019 season, which includes more than 170 Regional and District events beginning late February. These events measure the effectiveness of each robot’s design and control, the power of teamwork and the determination of participating students not only to win, but to learn and have fun.

To learn more about DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE Presented by The Boeing Company, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mew6G_og-PI&feature=youtu.be. For more information on SBPLI, visit www.sbpli.org.

SBPLI Long Island FIRST students, educators and parents await the announcement of this year’s challenge at the FIRST Robotics Competition season kickoff at LIU Post Tilles Center on January 5.

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About FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $30 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST®, go to www.firstinspires.org.

About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.
School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) DBA FIRST® Long Island is a fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses. His goal was to provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce, which resulted in the formation of over 100 partnerships. In 1999, SBPLI brought the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to Long Island, which featured just eight FIRST® Robotics Competition high school teams. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition has grown to two events with over 80 teams competing each year. SBPLI also hosts Long Island’s annual FIRST® LEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the FIRST® LEGO League Junior Expos, in which over 2,000 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. In 2016, SBPLI added the FIRST® Tech Challenge to its roster of programs. For more information about the programs, or to learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

About Zebra Technologies

Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) empowers the front line of business in retail/ecommerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare and other industries to achieve a performance edge. With more than 10,000 partners across 100 countries, we deliver industry-tailored, end-to-end solutions that intelligently connect people, assets and data to help our customers make business-critical decisions. Our market-leading solutions elevate the shopping experience, track and manage inventory as well as improve supply chain efficiency and patient care. Ranked on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for the last three years, Zebra helps our customers capture their edge. For more information, visit www.zebra.com or sign up for our news alerts. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

FIRST® LEGO League Qualifiers are Set to Begin Across Long Island

Organization Shares Excitement Over the INTO ORBITSM Challenge

Students from across Long Island are set to blast off into a series of FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO® League Qualifiers – presented by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) – starting January 26, 2019. Students (ages nine to 14) and their mentors from the program have worked hard to research, design, build, program and test LEGO robots that will best address the challenge set forth in INTO ORBITSM.

For this challenge, teams will choose and solve a real-world problem faced by humans during long-duration space exploration within our sun’s solar system. They will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under the FIRST signature set of Core Values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism®.

The students will then present the solution during one of six different Qualifier tournaments being held on the following dates and locations:

  • Qualifiers 1-3: Saturday, January 26, 2019 (AM and PM) and Sunday, January 27, 2019 (AM) at Mineola High School, 10 Armstrong Road, Garden City Park, NY
  • Qualifiers 4-6: Saturday, February 2, 2019 (AM and PM) and Sunday, February 3, 2019 (AM) at Huntington High School, 188 Oakwood Road, Huntington, NY

Teams competing in these events will then earn the opportunity to subsequently advance to the SBPLI FIRST LEGO League Championship tournament at Longwood High School at 100 Longwood Road, Middle Island, NY on Sunday, March 3, 2019.

This will be the 15th year that FIRST LEGO League has enabled students on Long Island to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through building and problem-solving. In addition, 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. FIRST’s history and long-lasting impact on Long Island will be honored at all events this year.

“The FIRST LEGO League students on Long Island have already been working diligently to identify real-life problems we face when travelling in space,” says Stephanie Stern, FIRST LEGO League Co-Director. “It’s amazing how passionate they are about finding a solution. It’s going to be really exciting to see what they devise when they present at the Qualifiers.”

For more information on SBPLI and the FIRST Long Island progression of programs, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.firstlongisland.org/

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About FIRST®  
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $30 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST®, go to www.firstinspires.org.

About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.
School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) DBA FIRST® Long Island is a fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses. His goal was to provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce, which resulted in the formation of over 100 partnerships. In 1999, SBPLI brought FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to Long Island, which featured just eight FIRST® Robotics Competition high school teams. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition has grown to two events with over 80 teams competing each year. SBPLI also hosts Long Island’s annual FIRST® LEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the FIRST® LEGO League Junior Expos, in which over 2,000 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. In 2016, SBPLI added the FIRST® Tech Challenge to its roster of programs. For more information about the programs, or to learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

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