Hi!

We're FIRST Lego League team #25, The Ponytail Posse. Lego League is a program that is half-robotics based and half-project based. Every year, we build and program a Lego robot to complete missions on a pre-designed board. We also come up with a problem and solution within a given theme, research it, and present our solution to judges. It's an amazing program that inspires kids from late elementary school to high school, and it helps us learn essential life skills like orginization and teamwork. This year, we've been asked to compete in the 2013-14 national robotics competition held in Legoland, California. But we need your help in order to get there.

We've been a team for five years, ever since being elligible to join in 4th grade. Over the years, as people graduated out of the program and others moved in, our members have changed. This year was different. We are happy to say that all six of us have stuck together as a team and now we're much better friends than we ever would have been otherwise.

I think this year is the best team we've ever had because of how different we all are. Sabriyah is our project manager; she handles the schedules and milestones so we make sure we get everything done instead of getting too off task (which sometimes happens anyway- after all, we are 7th and 8th grade girls). Then there's Meghan and I, who specialize in programming. Amy is the research/project lead along with Emily, who handles the social media and such. Finally, there's Nancy, who's our lead robot builder. She's also in charge of keeping our binder organized. The binder contains every interview, every rough draft of the project, every community thing we've done, and every step we took to develop and build the robot we use today.

One of our favorite parts of Lego League is the "core values" and the friendship we develop as we work through obstacles and get excited about new ideas. Every Sunday evening after the normal meeting, the six of us all have dinner together. We have a wonderful time having laugh attacks and discussing random things. Popular topics in the past have been cows (thanks to Emily), living through 8th grade, Super Mario Galaxy, and planning next week's dinner.

Another thing we love is the volunteering. There were 17 regional Lego League tournaments this season. At least one or two of us have been volunteering at tournaments each weekend helping out the referees. We do things like reset tables, run scores, and wish good luck to the teams. My favorite thing about volunteering, and I'm sure everyone elses', is seeing the excitement of the younger kids who haven't done Lego League before. The rush of competition is something that I will never grow tired of.

This is most likely the Ponytail Posse's last Lego League season as we start High School next year.  Making it to nationals in CA is a fantastic way to end our five-year run, and we're honored to be given the opportunity.

We're raising funds to cover the cost of our trip. Your donation, in any amount, would be much appreciated.

Thank you so much for your support! ♥

- The Ponytail Posse