FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2025
Middle School Robotics Team “Lightning Strikes Twice!” Makes Waves at World Championship in Houston
Aspen, Colorado — Anchored by generous support from Aspen Education Foundation and the St. Regis Hotel, Lightning Strikes Twice! recently returned from an immersive experience at the 2025 FIRST Championship, the World Championships, held in Houston, Texas, where they made a splash in the FIRST LEGO League Challenge (FLL) competition.
Hailing from Aspen Middle School, Lightning Strikes Twice!, composed of Sam Gilmore, Hailey Ward, Ember LaPenna, Lorelei LaPenna, Tamir Finesilver, and Nicco DiMaria, earned their berth at the international event after a standout season of innovation, teamwork, and engineering excellence. The FIRST LEGO League Championship brings together the top 160 teams out of over 30,000 from around the world, showcasing their skills in robot design, core values, and their innovative project.
“I enjoyed visiting the unique pit areas of all the international teams. One team organized a scavenger hunt around the event that encouraged all participants to engage with one another. It was inspiring to see the high school teams collaborate during the robot game with such complicated and agile robots,” Sam Gilmore said.
This year’s theme asked students to create a solution under this year’s challenge theme, “Submerged”, which focused on ocean exploration.
“We all knew we wanted to help research the coral reefs and help marine biologists gather information about coral when we discovered biomimicry. We decided to use it to create a turtle,” Hailey Ward said.
The team created several iterations of the robotic turtle, SHELTN, an acronym of the team members’ first names, for gathering data on coral.
“We’re so proud of our team’s journey and accomplishments,” said George Helfenstine, 7th grade science teacher and the team’s coach. “Throughout the long season it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. They’ve worked tirelessly to design, build, and program their LEGO robot, as well as develop a unique innovation project that impressed judges with its creativity and real-world application. Beyond being reel smart, these kids are hooked on STEM and a shore bet for success in whatever they choose to pursue in life.”
Overall, the accomplishment of making it to Worlds showcased both the commitment and dedication of the team.
“Being a part of Lightning Strikes Twice, we had to work together as a team to actually accomplish things, because if we had to do it alone, we probably wouldn’t have gotten to Worlds,” Nicco DiMaria said.
The FIRST Championship, often referred to as the “Super Bowl of STEM,” brought together more than 50,000 students, mentors, volunteers, and fans from over 100 countries. The event celebrates science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on challenges and global camaraderie.
Next year, Lightning Strikes Twice! plans to chart a course to the High School robotics program, mentor Middle School robotics teams, and continue to use technology to change the world!
For more information about the team, to support their future initiatives, or to get involved, please contact George Helfenstine at [email protected].
About FIRST LEGO League
FIRST LEGO League introduces youth to the fun and exciting world of science and technology through hands-on LEGO-based challenges. Students gain real-world problem-solving experience through a guided, global robotics program.
