Nespelem School District's robotics team competed in their first regional "First Lego League Robotics Competition" the first weekend in December.

With a little over a month to prepare, the small team of five middle-school students competed against 23 teams in Wenatchee, Principal Marcy Horne reports.

This year's competition theme was "Out to Orbit," and the team was judged on robot design for that theme, and on core values based on "PAX," Horne said, referring to a system the school has used since 2014 to encourage good behavior. PAX is Latin for peace, and the program's values include respect, inclusion, fairness, integrity, and cooperation, Horne noted.

The team, coached by middle-school teacher Christina Christopherson, placed fifth in programming and completing missions.

They will continue to learn about basic programming in January after Christmas break, Horne said.