Herndon Lego Robotics Teams Turn Out Some of the Country's Brightest Minds

While we have always known that Herndon is home to amazing children and students, this story only proves that fact so much more.

It's somewhat fascinating to note that, a few years ago, Herndon Elementary had no Lego Robotics team; today, it has three, and they are doing amazing things.

Local resident Tom Welsh and his wife Barbara noticed that void, and decided to help fill it, by helping to found the Herndon Stingers team. That team is still alive today - going by the name Herndon Terminators - along with its two sister teams, Disorder of the Phoenix, and Order of the Diamonds. Tom Welsh is one of the coaches.

Fellow local resident Beth Riddick said they had only just moved to Herndon when her son was recommended by the school to be one of the team's first members.

Riddick said, she is ever grateful that her son decided to give it a try - and she noticed a positive difference in him almost immediately.

"He would come home and say things like, 'I love science!' and 'I love math!'"

Riddick said, the teams are so much more than just building robots - they really get into the science, engineering, technology and animation concepts, and also teach valuable group dynamics and problem solving as well.

Because of that amazing educational insight the students are exposed to, some of them have gone on to amazing things. For example, an alumnus of the Herndon High robotics team is now employed at JPL, and recently built a drill that happens to be inside the Curiosity Rover on Mars.

The teams are also wildly successful - one of the Herndon Lego teams made it all the way to the state finals this year, and another is soon on its way to the world championships.

Riddick said, her children had such a great experience on the Herndon Elementary team, that today, even though her son and daughter are now on the Herndon High teams, she still helps raise money every year for the elementary program.

"We get so much out of it, I want to make sure the opportunity is available for other kids," she explained. "And, I really take the outreach we do [to educate the community about these programs] seriously, because I know that there are a lot of kids whom this would benefit, but it's a lot less well known of an activity; it's not like soccer and things like that."

And, the way she does her outreach and fundraising is incredibly unique.

Riddick now runs a popular heirloom tomato seedling sale from her home's large front porch every spring, called "Robot Tomatoes."

The sale is now in its fourth year, and is only growing in popularity.

"I had just moved to Herndon the same year that my son joined the team," she said. "We had just gotten a greenhouse, and I'd heard of people doing seedling sales before, but I wasnt sure people knew of some of the seasonal varieties available."

So, Riddick started researching heirloom tomatoes, explaining that she just really liked experimenting with them and finding the most delicious varieties.

She said, she was blown away with how popular her sale was, right away in its first year.

"I had no idea how it was going to go. It's not like people call you up in advance and make a reservation," she said with a laugh. "But, I thought it was worth trying."

So many people came, she said, they made enough money to pay for the program's entire year in that one sale.

"It was a fun and rewarding experience, and it was also a great way to meet people in the town," she recalled.

Riddick said she still hears from people who planted a variety they got from her sale, who call or drop by to say how happy they are with their plants - and she loves hearing it.

This year's Robot Tomatoes sale is coming up

Riddick said, the date of the sale has moved up slightly as she has learned that holding it a little earlier in the spring brings even more favorable conditions for planting the seedlings.

This year's sale is coming up this weekend on Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to noon. Riddick said, plenty of coffee and seedlings will be available for customers. Her address is 792 Grant St. in Herndon.

To find out what kinds of varieties will be available for sale this year, visit the Robot Tomatoes website.

Herndon High team is headed to championships

Welsh and Riddick are proud to report that the team from Herndon High School had a highly successful competition at the regionals in Washington, D.C. recently, coming in second in the rankings and also being named the winners of an "Engineering Inspiration" award.

Thanks to all that, they are headed to St. Louis for the world championships soon.

The team was featured in footage captured by NBC News while in D.C. for the regionals. See the video footage on NBC's website here.

Welsh and Riddick would also like to point out that, especially with the assistance of FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, members of these and other school robotics teams have excellent chances at scholarships. Currently, Riddick said, on average, one out of every four children who apply for one, gets it.

Learn more about the Herndon High School robotics team on its official website here, or on its Facebook page here.

Do you have a child on a robotics team in Herndon? Do you like going to Beth Riddick's Robot Tomatoes sale each spring? Tell us in the comments below.

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