The Livingston Robotics Club (LRC) and Livingston Advisory Committee for Disabilities (LACD) announced that children with special needs would be offered the ‘Shining Star’ Robotics League. One of the award winning FISRT LEGO League (FLL) team from LRC, comprising four eighth-grade girls is available for mentoring the teams for two to four hours every week.
Robot that helps children with Special needs
The all-girls team, called Landrias, has completed three years in the FLL and has won several regional championships and Robot design awards. Pearl Hwang, the President of LRC, said that after their success in many competitions, the girls team decided to get into mentoring, giving birth to the concept of the Shining Star League. During the pilot phase of the program only 12 children, from ages 9-14 would be mentored. The children are chosen based on a first-come-first-serve basis and there is an application and interview process for the parents who would need to assist their children in their projects. Parents who volunteer as a coach for the program would be assured of a spot for their child in the team.
The LRC was started in 2007 with one Livingston team, called the Landroids. The Landroids were a team of 6th grade students experimenting with LEGO robots and went on to win many national and international awards in the field of robotics and science. The Landrias team was later formed in 2008 by the younger sisters of Landroids; they also proved to be a very successful team. In 2010, LRC turned into a formally incorporated non-profit subsidiary, which came under the Healthy Community, Healthy Youth Initiative (HCHY). Alan Karpas from HCHY noted that through the help from HCHY, LRC now has a clubhouse and consists of 70 children divided into 13 teams across New Jersey. He added that the Shining Stars League would be greatly benefitted by the coaching of Landrias and some committed parents. The Township of Livingston’s Senior, Youth and Leisure Services (SYLS) has been conducting the ‘Shining Star’ Sports League for Exceptional Children. The creators of the above program are coordinating with LACD and LRC in order to serve children with special needs.