WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 18, 2018 21
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Local students compete in Lego robotics challenge
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
A pair of schools from Ridgewood
and Glendale put their programming
knowledge to the
test on Saturday when they competed
in the FIRST Lego League qualifi er for
a chance to move on to the city fi nals.
The fourth- and fi ft h-graders from
P.S. 71 Forest Elementary and the seventh
and eighth-graders from Sacred
Heart Catholic Academy brought their
Lego Mindstorms robots to Renaissance
Middle School in St. Albans on
Jan. 13, where 25 teams from all over
Queens gathered to compete.
The theme of this year’s contest was
hydrodynamics, and the teams had
to program their robots to complete
a series of tasks on a tabletop map
that depicted real-world water cycle
problems. They were also required to
complete a research project in which
a water problem and a solution were
identifi ed and then presented to the
judges.
Being one of the youngest teams
in the competition, the “Owl BOTS”
from P.S. 71 had a less-advanced robot
than most, but their spirit was at an
all-time high. Throughout the robot
games they cheered and chanted for
Photo by Ryan Kelley/QNS
The "Owl BOTS" of P.S. 71 competed
in the FIRST Lego League
qualifi er at Renaissance Middle
School on Jan. 13.
their teammates and were able to put
points on the board.
Although the team didn’t place in the
top six to move on to the next round,
fourth-grade student Orsen Ujka operated
the robot and said that winning
was not the most important thing.
“Honestly I care more about having
fun,” Ujka said. “I tried getting all
the points I could, I just like that my
friends support me a lot.”
The “Owl BOTS” also took great
pride in their research project. They
identifi ed poor water quality at their
school as the problem aft er lead testing
forced the school to stop using two
drinking fountains. The proposed
solution was to have water filters
installed on the drinking fountains,
and the students even reached out to
the Department of Education and the
Quality Water Group to see if they
could turn their project into a reality.
Indiana Soto, principal of P.S. 71,
stopped by to see her students in action
and said she was exceptionally proud and
excited to see them making a diff erence.
“A lot of times you’ll have advocates,
but there isn’t really intention, so
where’s the change going to come
from?” Soto said. “Our students are
change agents with intention, so to me
it’s inspiring.”
While some of the students were
sad that they didn’t get rewarded for
their hard work, their coaches Janna
Carbone and Kathleen Remsen were
beyond proud of how they performed.
Carbone said that the next step in
reaching their goal of bringing clean
water to the school is to meet with the
Quality Water Group again, who will
do simple experiments and lessons
with the kids about how the fi lters work.
Beyond that, convincing the DOE to
contract the work to the Quality Water
Group is the biggest challenge, she said.
“I feel their disappointment, I’ve
been there,” Carbone said. “But we’re
very proud of their teamwork and accomplishments,
they’ve done so much
in so little time.”
The middle school students from
Sacred Heart, on the other hand, performed
very well in the competition.
Their robot, complete with several
diff erent attachments for completing
missions in the game, scored the second
most points in the competition
and was given an award for best robot
mechanical design.
For their research project, the “FLLASH”
(First Lego League At Sacred
Heart) came up with an idea for a sink
that drains water into the top of a toilet
and recycles that water to use for the
next fl ush. They even built a model
toilet out of Legos to present their idea.
Rich Mezic, one of the coaches for
the Sacred Heart team, said they are
one of the only catholic school teams to
compete in the competition. He is not
a paid teacher at the school, rather he
is a National Grid employee who runs
the Lego robotics team as a volunteer.
He started the team in 2013 when his
sons were in grade school, he said.
“They’re in high school now, but
I still do it because it’s personally
rewarding,” Mezic said in an email.
“I wish I would’ve had Legos like this
when I was a kid!”
The “FLLASH” will be moving on to
the city championship, held on March
11 in the Nat Holman Gym at City College
of New York.
Nowadays opens everyday indoor location
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
Aft er a soft opening of its indoor
location for special parties and
music listening sessions, Nowadays
in Ridgewood is about to become
an everyday getaway.
Located at 56-06 Cooper Ave., Indoors
at Nowadays will feature a full
kitchen and bar for the fi rst time when
it begins its year-round, seven-daya
week schedule on Jan 18. The new,
5,000-square-foot space also has a communal
dining room with collapsible tables
that are moved once dinner service
ends to open the fl oor for dancing and
music, which plays through two stateof
the-art sound systems.
Co-owner Justin Carter said that
aft er three years of running the seasonal
outdoor venue with his business
partner, Eamon Harkin, he’s met with
a range of emotions now that they will
be open year round, seven days a week.
“Excited, relieved, nervous, all of
those things,” Carter said. “We’re
pleased that we have the space, and
what we’ve learned over the years is you
can always move and change the things
you’re doing to fi t what people want.”
Carter and Harkin proved they
were men of the people, and the people
showed what they wanted. The
two owners launched a Kickstarter
campaign to raise money for the
sound systems, and 897 donors later
they raised a total of $102,762. They are
both DJs and built a following over the
last decade with their Mister Sunday
and Mister Saturday Night roaming
parties, and they used that money to
build two custom-made sound systems.
The other main attraction at Indoors
at Nowadays is the kitchen, staff ed and
operated by restaurateur Henry Rich.
The food menu features an assortment
of bowls, sandwiches and snacks
with vegan and vegetarian options.
The bar will off er local craft beers,
natural wine and affordable cocktails.
There will also some breakfast
options during brunch service on the
weekends.
Indoors at Nowadays takes pride in
connecting with the community, Carter
said, and they will off er a number
of unique programs and events that
focus on wellness and knowledge.
Some upcoming events that are
likely to be staples at the hangout
are parties hosted by guest DJs
and a Think Olio class on the show
“Stranger Things” on Jan. 31. Another
Nowadays novelty is the Planetarium
listening sessions where guests
lie on the floor immerse themselves
into five hours of specially designed
playlists.
For Planetariums and many other
events, guests are not permitted to use
their cellphones. Carter believes that
rule is something that actually draws
more people in.
“We’re all attached to our phones,
and I think most of us when we take a
step back we all have this desire to get
away from it,” he said.
Indoors at Nowadays will be open
from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Tuesday
through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. on
Fridays, noon to 4 a.m. on Saturdays
and noon to 11 p.m. on Sundays.
Photo courtesy of Nowadays
The communal dining room at Nowadays, which opens full-time on Jan. 18.
