Saturday, November 25, 2023, marked an extraordinary day of endless creativity for over 100 young minds as they attended the FIRST Lego League Challenge Mississauga Qualifying Tournament. Sponsored by FIRST Robotics Canada, and hosted by HNMCS Robotics, FRC Team 7659, this event brought together amazing engineers, programmers, and problem solvers for a day of fun activities and nail-biting competition.
The event consisted of 48 robot competition rounds, where teams’ robots ran autonomous programs within a 2.5-minute timeframe to complete as many missions as possible. In addition to teams gathering points in their official robot rounds, they were also judged on their robot design that demonstrated iterative engineering skills; their core values of teamwork, inclusion, discovery, impact innovation and fun; and their innovation project where they presented a solution to an existing problem in the world.
A highlight of the event was the attendance of some esteemed guests. Acting Mayor Chris Fonseca, a passionate advocate for STEAM education, encouraged young minds and emphasised the importance of technology and creativity in the future.
We also welcomed Arti Javeri, Vice President of FIRST Robotics Canada, Sarah Sils, a Senior Mentor from FIRST Robotics Canada, and Annika Pint, FIRST Lego League Challenge Program Manager of FIRST Robotics Canada.
HNMCS Robotics has grown from 2 girls to a powerhouse team of over 40 girls in the senior school. Founding member Kasthuri Thambipillai ‘17 together with Fayble Shawera ‘21 and Julia Arturi ‘22 were judges and leads at the event. Iris, a grade 9 rookie student said, “Shadowing Fayble was a transformative experience that was incredibly inspiring. Fayble is a strong character and is a perfect example of the person I would like to be in the future.”
The HNMCS Robostars, FLL 2824, whom we mentor, had an excellent start to their season. The team was rewarded for this creative project idea by winning the Innovation Award and qualified to compete at the FIRST Lego League Provincial Championships in January!
In the spirit of FIRST Robotics’ mission to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, the FIRST Lego League Tournament 2023 stands as a shining example of the incredible potential that lies within the minds of our youth. As these young participants continue to explore, create, and innovate, the future of STEAM looks brighter than ever, and we can’t wait to see them all again next year!
This year the event was live streamed on our YouTube channel thereby providing the opportunity to reach a global audience. For those who missed the live action, you can catch the excitement by visiting the live stream links:
HNMCS Robotics Team 7659 