Middle School robotics team plans flea market fundraiser

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Cosmic Snowballs are planning a flea market fundraiser to support the team’s upcoming trip to Florida for a FIRST LEGO League competition.

Made up of middle school TAG students, the Lego robot program had a wildly successful inaugural year in competitive robotics, taking top spots at the regional qualifier in December and placing second overall at the statewide contest in January.

While not qualifying for the official national contest, the team’s success earned them an invitation to the Florida Sunshine Invitational in Daytona Beach this June, where they will compete against Lego robot teams from around the nation and world.

“There’s teams from almost 40 states, and 20 international teams have been invited as well,” said Nyberg.

The Cosmic Snowballs will be the only team representing Iowa during the event.

To help pay for the trip, the team will be hosting a Flea Market & Robotics Expo on Sunday, May 5, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Charles City Middle School.

“We’ve got some really cool stuff lined up,” said Nyberg.

Setting up in the Comet Gym and adjacent lobby, the flea market will feature local vendors on-site selling handmade decorations, jewelry, baked goods, sports collectibles and more.

A silent auction will also be held featuring a variety of donated items.

Sponsorships and donations have already gotten the team a little more than halfway to their fundraising goal. With the flea market, the team hopes to generate enough money to cover the rest of their expected expenses.

“Hopefully the fundraiser can close most of the remaining gap,” said Nyberg.

Along with fundraising activities, the event will also feature live robotics demonstrations from the kids, including friendly tournament and exhibition runs to show how their Lego robots work and what they will be doing for the competition.

“It’s a way for the kids to show off to the community,” said Nyberg.

Outside of Lego robots, students will be demonstrating other STEAM activities, such as performing engineering challenges and showcasing the 3D printing machine.

“If the weather is nice, we’ll have a little paper rocket station,” said Nyberg.

Food vendors will also be on site for those who want to stay for a bite to eat. Cosmic Smashburger and All About Cheesesteaks have confirmed they will be there for the event and order forms will be available for Cookie Dough’tique.

“We’ll have lots to do for everyone who comes,” said Nyberg.

Those interested in participating in the flea market, or otherwise donating to or sponsoring the team for the trip, can contact Nyberg through the school e-mail.

The Florida invitational gives the team the opportunity to apply the skills they’ve developed in engineering, programming, teamwork and more with peers at the highest level from around the world, Nyberg said.

“I hope it gives them a sense of the endless possibilities that lay ahead of them,” he said. “It’s an incredible learning experience for the kids.”