18 FIRST Lego League robotics teams are converging on Chippewa Secondary School this weekend.

175 students are gearing up for Saturday’s North Bay FLL Qualifying Tournament.

They’re competing for a chance to advance to the Provincial FLL Championship in January.

FIRST Team 1305 Captain Jessica Kelso says it’s a big event for the students. “There’s awards, games and prizes. It’s just a way for the kids to show off all of the hard work that they’ve done.”

Kelso also says the public is invited to check out the free competition.

“I definitely recommend bringing their kids out, it’s a great experience for them to see it and maybe figure out that they want to join a team, or start a team,” she added.

The event starts at 8 am with all the awards expected to be handed out by 4:30 pm.

This year’s theme is Animal Allies.

Not only were the students tasked with building a robot for the competition, but teams learned more about some of the challenges of animals and animal allies.