Junior Vivi Dong, Co-Founder of the Lego Club

What made you want to create the Lego Club? 

I feel like Lego is a part of a kid’s childhood experience and it allows you to take creative interest and think about structurally how to build a house and it allows you to come up with ideas and make the Legos on your own.

What is your favorite thing about being in the Lego Club?

I feel like we built a really good community around it. It’s pretty small, but everyone came together to build Legos and structures.

What is the coolest thing the club has built so far? 

It was back in our December meeting, we had a little build contest and one club member, Angela Li (junior), built the Grinch meme, the Knee Surgery one, which came in first. In second we had Aidan Shen’s (junior), who built this really cool fireplace, and we also had someone create a fire truck as well. 

What is the biggest challenge that the club is facing? 

Funding is definitely an issue as Legos are really expensive and they are going to get more expensive, because the thing with Legos is that it’s built for the long term and for sustainability, but they are pretty expensive. A lot of them we get from donations and a part of it is paid for with some dues that most of our members have handed in. 

How do you think the club can improve or grow in the future?

Originally our idea was to have these fun meetings. Additionally, we had an idea where we would use this computer program where you can design your own sets of Legos. The issue that we have right now is that a lot of our members have Chromebooks and can’t exactly download the applications or programs on there, so eventually we will work something out with maybe the media center’s computers.

Why do you think the Lego club is important for the school community?

It’s more of a creative interest club right now. Obviously we are working on getting the community involved and getting some service through this, but right now it’s just for fun. 

Junior Lily Mar, Co-Founder of the Lego Club

What made you want to create the Lego Club? 

I founded the Lego Club with one of my friends. It was really her idea; I just hopped on board with it. I personally love playing with Legos. I think it’s a really good chance to kind of get away from high school for a little bit, so it’s nice being able to just play with them after a long day of school. 

What is your favorite thing about being in the Lego Club?

It’s fun, there is no pressure of anything other than a little competition, but really it’s just fun. I get to hang out with my friends, bring a lot of people and there’s food. 

What is the coolest thing the club has built so far? 

We have a lot of creative people, and it’s mainly individual builds. Someone built a fireplace while another built a whole batmobile. We generally have competitions where members can showcase this creativity.  

What are some projects that the Lego Club is planning for the future?

I have a plan to collect some dues and go to the library and have them create a digital design and 3-D print it, so members can have nice little souvenirs or keychains. We still have to figure out how to work that logistically but if we could manage that, it would be so cool. 

What is the biggest challenge that the club is facing? 

We actually did a really good job in gathering materials and stuff like that. We bought two boxes and then we had people donate some of their Lego sets as well. We also use the club dues, which are about $8. It is not a lot to buy multiple Legos so we rely a lot on donations from the club members. 

Has the club implemented or talked about building techniques?

We haven’t done techniques; it has been mostly just free builds because it’s just a time to relax after school. Other than that, if we can get the 3-D designs up and running that would be a good technique or skill that we can use and teach others. 

What is the best part of being an officer for the Lego Club? 

It’s really enjoyable. I get to help with activities and buy food for others. I just do it for fun. There is not really a reward for it or anything, I just enjoy the leadership experience. 

Why do you think the Lego club is important for the school community?

I think all clubs are important for the school community. It gives kids a lot of different chances to try new things or go back to old things. I can pretty much guarantee you that, unless you are an engineering kid, you don’t really play with Legos on a day-to-day basis.  

Terri Ramos, sponsor of the Lego Club

What is the Lego Club all about?

It’s just a way for kids to be able to come together once every other week to spend time together and do something that they love. 

What made you want to be a sponsor for this club?

An email went out saying that these kids needed a sponsor and I contacted the teacher and they got me in touch with the kids. Originally the kids wanted to meet more, so they had another teacher who was willing to do half and half, so we talked about that. However it has generally come down to me every other week, which is fine. I love Legos and wanted to support a group that wanted to get together and do that.

Why do you think the Lego club is important for the school community?

When kids come together, a couple of things happen. First they get involved in something that’s good and that’s healthy for them like face-to-face interaction, and they feel a sense of community which helps the community at large because when kids are active and feel accepted  then you have fewer problems, and that’s all the Carmel community is about. So that happens, but then in general I feel like being face-to-face and creating together and just kind of hanging out is a good thing.

Do you ever think the club will be holding booths at different events?

I hope so. They had an opportunity to go do something similar to that, and I think there was a problem with the date or something. But hopefully if they continue next year I hope they get more involved, like you have the freshman fair and events like that to get more members involved.

What’s your favorite Lego set you build?

I have a blacksmith’s village, which is really cool because it has a little fire which you can pump, and it is a little below, and it lights up because it has a battery in it. I also have a Batman bad guy car, which is really cool looking.