On December 14, 2024, Holy Name of Mary College School hosted our third annual FIRST LEGO League (FLL) tournament! Our senior school robotics team, the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, organized the event under the guidance of our dedicated coach, Dr. Kozma. This year’s FLL theme, SUBMERGED, challenged teams to dive deep into ocean exploration. Participants used creative thinking and LEGO technology to explore the layers of the ocean and bring their learnings and ideas to the surface as they “sea” into the future. We welcomed 24 teams to our school, each bringing innovative solutions to the challenges posed by the SUBMERGED theme. The day was filled with intense robot matches, project presentations, and core values activities, highlighting teamwork, innovation, and gracious professionalism. By the end of the tournament, six outstanding teams earned spots to advance to the provincial championships. Their dedication and creativity truly stood out, and we wish them the best in the next stage of the competition. Hosting this event was a significant milestone for our school’s robotics program. It provided our FRC team with valuable experience in event planning and offered younger students a glimpse into the exciting world of robotics. We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Kozma for leading this initiative and to all the volunteers, participants, and supporters who made the day a success. We were honoured to have Dave Ellis, President of FIRST Robotics Canada, attend the tournament. His visit highlighted not only the impressive scale of the event but also the outstanding organizational efforts of our all-girl FRC Robotics team, who flawlessly executed every detail. Dave Ellis was deeply impressed by their leadership, teamwork, and commitment. He also presented HNMCS Robotics with a plaque recognizing our team’s significant contribution to hosting the FLL Tournament for the past three years. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and passion our students bring to the FIRST community.

We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future and continuing to inspire a passion for STEM in our school community.

Samantha and Kylie 
Grade 9 HNMCS Robotics Team 7659 Members

HNMCS Robotics is proud to denote ourselves as a team who prioritises quality. We focus on engagement–each part of our robot was worked on by different members of the team, each who work with others to emphasise collaboration and place a focus on teaching students to develop engineering and teaching skills. Previous students, with experience in advanced engineering, often return to teach and assist with our robots. With over 30 years of experience in engineering, our team mentor leads coding sessions to teach members different methods in creating polished, easy to follow, lines of code. These are implemented in the robot and used for competition, allowing students to feel more connected and engaged with the game.FIRST Robotics features teams who demonstrate quality–through workmanship, collaboration, and the overall structure of our robot. This year, we’re shooting for the stars–quality award, here we come!

Simona
7659 Administration Lead

On Giving Tuesday, the HNMCS Robotics team came together to support a meaningful cause, organizing and donating children’s books to the Children’s Book Bank of Toronto. Our students worked tirelessly to divide and pack the books into boxes, ensuring they were ready for distribution to children in need. Alongside the book donation, students took part in a creative project, designing and decorating Christmas-themed bookmarks. Each bookmark was decorated with a kind, cheerful message to spread holiday joy to the young readers who would receive them.

Adding an element of friendly competition, our school houses battled to donate the most books, with each house striving to earn the most points. This sparked a sense of excitement and friendship, as students rallied together to contribute as many books as possible. The house spirit was extreme, and the energy of the day was contagious, spreading Christmas cheer among all participants.

In the end, a total of 235 books were donated, making a significant contribution to the Children’s Book Bank. This event was a beautiful reminder of the power of giving, teamwork, and spreading kindness during the holiday season.

Isabella 
7659 Member

Last Saturday, November 16th, HNMCS Robotics and Orbit Robotics hosted the 8th Annual Business Brunch. Five guest speakers: Ms. Mendhi, Ms. De Sousa, Ms. Mann, Ms. ​Galle, and Ms. Bryson joined us. They shared their story in the business field and gave advice. Some advice from the speakers were “Don’t get too attached to what you have or want to be, you might miss other opportunities.” and “Just go for it.” 

There were approximately 45 attendees who came to listen and gain insight. A rookie of HNMCS Robotics also attended and commented, “All of the presentations were really insightful. The words, ‘You don’t have to choose just one field.’ stood out to me because I am interested in both business and STEM.” By the end of the event, the speakers answered questions the attendees had, and there was time for attendees to talk to the speakers separately.

Jona
7659 Business Lead

The EmpowHer event at HNMCS expands young minds into the world of STEM. It is an inspiring initiative that empowers young minds to explore the exciting world of STEM. On November 6th, 2024, the team hosted its second annual EmpowHer event, which saw an incredible turnout of enthusiastic middle school students across Ontario. 

High school students at HNMCS collaborate to design and deliver a hands-on workshop that encourages younger students to engage with science, technology, engineering, and math in creative ways.

The event kicked off with an interactive Bingo game, where students had the chance to meet, mingle, and get to know one another in a fun setting. It was the perfect icebreaker to set the stage for an exciting learning experience. 

The event introduced students to Scratch, a beginner-friendly programming platform that teaches young learners the fundamentals of coding. Through Scratch, students explored how computers process information and bring ideas to life by writing and executing code. They were encouraged to get creative by incorporating movement, sound, multiple backdrops, and even dialogue into their projects. In just one hour of coding, the students’ imaginations were brought to life as they created everything from dancing bunnies in a forest to puppies flying through space. It was amazing to witness their creativity and problem-solving skills come to life on screen.

Lia
7659 Member

On October 24, 2024, HNMCS Robotics hosted its 8th annual Engineering Career Night with Orbit Robotics, attracting over 90 attendees eager to hear from six engineers. Three speakers were connected to the HNMCS community. Janice Bolen’s expertise has positioned her as a leader in optimizing resource use, Deshnee Naidoo, highlighted the challenges faced by women in male-dominated fields, and fellow alumnae, Victoria Meola, provided valuable advice for those considering graduate school. The evening, filled with valuable insights and networking opportunities, showcased the endless possibilities in the engineering profession. The common themes were to “embrace your strengths”, “network and collaborate”, and “pursue your passions”.

Megan
7659 Communications Lead

On October 20, 2025 HNMCS Robotics competed in the STEMley Cup Overtime Sunday event in Hamilton. It was an enthralling, fun and spirited event that allowed many teams from across Ontario to compete and play compete, the last season’s game one more time. By having Sunny as the Operator, Nemine as the driver, Maya as the technician, Preyanka as Human Player and Iris as our scouting head we had a very strong and determined team. Special mentions to the new rookie scouting members as well, as they all played a helpful role on Sunday, and we’re thrilled to have them all as new members of the team. Special thanks to Dr. Kozma and our sponsors who made this event possible for us. It was a great way to wrap up the season and we step into the new season with the retirement of “Dancing Queen.”! 🎶

Arisha
7659 Member