A day of fun competition recently brought lessons in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) out of the books and into real life. 

Southwestern Wisconsin School District took part in a day centered around LEGO-themed learning this month. 

Students from SWSD’s elementary school traveled to Janesville on Saturday, Nov. 18, to compete in a Wisconsin FIRST LEGO League challenge regional.

The FIRST LEGO League aims to help students “gain real-world problem solving experience through a guided, global robotics program,” notes their website. They seek to “inspire youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills through hands-on STEM learning and robotics.”

At the Wisconsin FIRST LEGO League competition in Janesville, SWSD faced off against 28 other teams, according to Southwestern’s social media.

One SWSD team, which called itself the ‘Fishy Friends,’ earned two award nominations. 

They were in the running for the ‘Rookie Team Award’ and the ‘Rising All Star Team’ Award, says a SWSD Facebook post.

Their hard work earned them a ranking in the top 10 of the ‘Robot’ category. They placed eighth, noted the post.

Another SWSD team, the ‘Fawn Squad’ took the 11th place spot in the category. The judges acknowledged the work they put into the skit they presented, says SWSD’s Facebook page.

Many helped make the successful day of hands-on education possible, added Southwestern on social media, thanking those who provided support.