Recently the members of National Honor Society as well as the Robotics club from Junction City High School went to the Leadership Studies building to volunteer for the “Hands-on, Youth-based” Built to Lead workshop.

On Saturday, April 11, the Built to Lead event partnered up with K-State, Lego, 4-H, and the Boys & Girls Club to work with kids of all ages and get creative and learn at the same time! This hands on experience let kids work and build with Legos, robots, and build wind turbines to promote building and leadership.

“Built to Lead is a collaborative event, bringing in area entities excited about the possibilities and opportunities that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) afford our young people. Alongside S.T.E.M., the events aim was also to highlight some of the leadership opportunities possible through civic engagement in our area which included the presence of Leadership Studies Ambassadors and the Army Corp of Engineers,” said John Jobe, through an email.

These kids who have a love for building and designing had the opportunity to learn about S.T.E.M.

“The Built to Lead event was undoubtedly beneficial to anyone who participated.  Many youth walked away from the event thinking about S.T.E.M. concepts in a way they never had before.  The young people were also able to step in to a collaborative environment, that encouraged them to work both as leaders and active listeners,” said Jobe.

John Jobe is a 4-H County Youth Development Agent and has contributed to the community by organizing this event. Many kids signed up through www.riley.ksu.edu to experience hands on learning through Lego, Robotics, K-State Interior Architecture & Product Design Students, and Army Corps of Engineers.

This event not only shows kids a new way to learn and interact with building and designing, but also shows that 4-H is an organization that focuses on community service and leadership skills.

“4-H epitomizes experiential learning, with a host of projects and special interest programming offered throughout the state.  Further, 4-H places youth in non-traditional educational setting and with the guidance of skilled adults, allows the young person to captain their own learning.” Stated Jobe in an email interview.

The Lego Representative, Amy Gill, was there for the mini session called “Build to Express” at the workshop. She said that the purpose of this Lego exercise is to build an answer, but there’s no wrong answer.

“The thing about Lego is that it is a product that if it was just one Lego it’s just a brick, but two together it brings creativity, innovation.” Gill said.

With the endless possibilities with the Legos, it’s impossible to determine a wrong answer and that’s the best way for kids to express themselves.

“If you tell me a pink brick is an elephant, it’s an elephant!” She exclaims.

The kids who signed up knew they were building with Legos and expressing themselves, but didn’t know that this experience was also stimulating their minds.

“They don’t really know that they’re learning.” Gill said “We call it Lego Smart.”

Amy Gill has traveled across Kansas to many kids and has gotten great responses from all kids.

“I told them to build a tower with only ten bricks and this kid just put three bricks together side by side. A lot of parents were like “aww, he didn’t get it” but then I asked him what the bricks represented and he said they were the tops of the building.” Said Gill

When asking the National Honor Society students on their experience with working with the kids,

Shekinah Bailey, a Senior at JCHS said  “It’s interesting to see young minds versus highschoolers and see what they come up with”

Another volunteer stated “It’s really cool seeing kids using their imagination” Said Sierra Chase, a Senior “See how everyone thinks differently.”

In the Robotics Mini Session, students in the Robotics club came to show their robots and have the kids test them out.

Danny Heustis, a Junior at JCHS and a Robotics club representative, said “I think it’s pretty fun experience. I try to be loud and show motion.

”When asked about what he learned, Heustis said “This helped me learn to being a little bit more open to little children.”

Daniel Sol, a Senior Robotics club member, said  “It’s actually pretty fun. The kids are having fun. They like my bot, and it’s an exciting experience.”

The Wind Turbine Session was two hours long, and the kids worked with tools given to them to build a Wind Turbine. National Honor Society members worked in small groups with kids who signed up.

Nichole Nieves, a Senior, said “I like working with little kids It’s fun to see how creative and smart they are coming up with different ideas.”

Jayson Quicksall, a Senior “It was cool, they have a lot of energy.” He also added “I judged Legos and that was cool, I like the Mini Cooper.”

The kids working with the volunteers said their favorite part of building a wind turbine.

9-year old Lane said “Trying to figure out what to do”

and Cohen, who is also 9 years old, said “Going up and testing our design.”

Both of the boys worked collaboratively in their group and want to be builders.

Ellis, who is 7 years old said ” I liked cutting the stuff” and proudly pointed out “I made the flags and the blades and the bucket”

The Built to Lead event was an event that benefitted both the students and the kids that participated.