Georgian Event

On March 5, 2023, HNMCS Robotics broke history. As one of three all-girls teams in Canada, the team stepped up into the spotlight representing girls globally. They left the event as winners and a two-time recipient of the Engineering Inspiration Award.

For the past eight weeks, HNMCS Robotics has worked hard to design and build a robot. The mentors and students dedicated their lunch periods and weekends to building the robot and field elements. The team sought innovative ways to build the robot. By integrating robotics into the school curriculum of computer science and physics, students actively worked on programming the autonomous period and the pneumatic system. Thanks to their sponsors, K-Tool, Pratt & Whitney, SOLIDWORKS, Hatch, and FIRST Canada, the build season was an immense success. They are proud to present their robot this season: Lightning Queen.

At competition, HNMCS Robotics stood tall during the qualification matches against 28 other robots. Throughout the challenging matches, the robot remained consistent as it successfully completed the autonomous period, scored cubes, and engaged with the charge station every match. The consistency, strength, and stability of the robot was recognized by the highest ranked team, MakeShift Robotics FRC4039 from St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario, and the third-highest ranked team, Simbotics FRC 1114 from Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St. Catherine’s, Ontario. Together, the trio formed a powerful alliance, leveraging their unique strengths and working in seamless coordination to outmaneuver and outscore their opponents, ultimately defeating all seven opposing alliances in a thrilling display of innovation and teamwork. HNMCS Robotics’ driver, operator, technician and human players fiercely competed against opponent alliances. Additionally, their robot played a key role in the matches as it successfully defended against opponent robots and engaged the charge station every playoff match. In the finals, HNMCS Robotics brought pride to our school as winners of the competition.

HNMCS Robotics has been breaking down boundaries for girls in STEM. Their theme for this season is Connect, Create, Change. These three C’s embody their mission to create and inspire positive change in their communities. HNMCS Robotics’ impact runs year-long. Their annual events, including Engineering Career Night, Business Brunch, STEM Day, Alumnae Chats, and DropIN Coding, provide valuable learning experiences for youth across the province. Last summer, the team expanded their outreach globally by running coding workshops for all-girls schools in Trinidad and Tobago. Last December, the team hosted and ran the Mississauga FLL Qualifying Tournament, involving 300 attendees. HNMCS Robotics continues to connect with communities, create opportunities, and change perspectives on STEM. 

The leads of HNMCS Robotics had been tirelessly meeting in and outside of school to perfect their essay and presentation for the competition. They spent countless hours writing and editing their essay, carefully crafting each sentence to convey the team’s theme and message clearly and effectively. They also spent many hours scripting and rehearsing their presentation, making sure that they were able to deliver their ideas with clarity and confidence. Their tireless effort and dedication paid off in the end, as they delivered a stunning essay and presentation that captivated the judges and earned their team the coveted Engineering Inspiration Award. This award recognizes the team’s initiatives and efforts to respect, appreciate, and promote engineering and technology within and outside their community. Their hard work and determination were a shining example of the power of perseverance and the rewards of unwavering commitment to excellence. 

New but deeply-rooted; unconventional but innovative—HNMCS Robotics makes the most of every opportunity to amplify their impact and strength. This is only the beginning for 7659. The three C’s—Connect, Create, Change—will continue to shape their positive impact on HNMCS, the local community, and the world. We cannot wait to see their performance at the McMaster District Event on March 31-April 2, 2023 and the Provincial Championships on April 5-8, 2023!