Shady Side Academy's Middle School will serve as the host site for a Pittsburgh FIRST LEGO League Robotics Regional Qualifying Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will involve 18 teams from area elementary and middle schools, including the SSA Middle and Junior School robotics teams. Based on their performance at the regional qualifier, several teams will qualify for the Pittsburgh FIRST Lego League Robotics Championship on Jan. 19, 2013, at Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Center in Lawrenceville.

The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society. To learn more, visit www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll.

The SSA Middle School robotics team is coached by science teacher Matt Brunner and world langauages teacher Rhett Jenkins, while the Junior School team is coached by science teacher Jeff McCarroll. SSA also plans to run a concession stand at the event and donate all proceeds to the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

Good luck!