Unbeknownst to the majority of our students and staff, a world-class competitor has walked the halls of FLBC for the last year and a half. That’s right, THE WORLD! As a high school student, Jacob Downs competed with a team three times in the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships. With a robot. Her name is Carla2, by the way. And does she ever have the moves! With the help of a phone, a controller, eight motors, a 12V battery pack, and a plethora of repurposed off-the-shelf and 3D-printed pieces, Jacob and his team have built Carla2 to spin, pivot, and reach for the stars. Usually, though, Carla2 picks up large Lego blocks and stacks them neatly in a timed competition against other teams. Jacob can also juggle five pins while on a unicycle. But that’s another story for another day …