The Winslow Public Library’s Wonder League Robotics Competition team, the Winslow Coders, has made it to the national final invitational round. Out of 5,300 teams participating around the country, approximately 280 were invited to this round, according to a news release from the library.

The Winslow Coders are a group of four Winslow children between the ages of 8 and 12. They have been working on this project at the library weekly since October. They had three story-based missions to do, each with three parts, between October and February.

“Although we struggled a bit at the beginning, the team really rallied and made it through the last two missions in record time,” said co-coach Samantha Cote, youth services and technology librarian, according to the release. Added her co-coach, Maine State Library’s STEM Liaison Christina Dorman, “Their dedication has been very impressive. We’re so excited for them to have this opportunity,” according to the release.

Dash & Dot, the small programmable robots used in the competition, are popular among educators looking to introduce coding and robotics through project-based learning. The library’s robots were purchased with its Ambrose Endowment funds, which are designated for use in children’s and young adult programs. Participants in the Wonder League, ages 6 to 12, develop problem-solving, growth mindset and creativity skills while learning to code.

The top five teams in the 6-8 and 9-12 age categories all receive official certificates, competition T-shirts, and Dash robots. Wonder Workshop will award a $5,000 STEM grant grand prize to the winning team in the age 6-8 category and the winning team in the age 9-12 category.

For more information, visit makewonder.com, winslow-me.gov/departments/library, call 872-1978, or email. scote@winslow-me.gov.