To kick off our FIRST STEAM Week, HNMCS Robotics held a teachers’ robot tournament. Two teachers from each school house (Chara, Electra, Bella, Nashira) gathered to participate in the tournament. The drive team gave a short tutorial before the game started. Through this initiative, the teachers got to experience Crescendo and how to drive the robot. The students at HNMCS from grades 5 to 12 also got to see the robot in action. The gym was filled with spirit and excitement cheering for their houses. A teacher commented, “I was so excited to drive the robot. It seemed really cool!”

On Wednesday, April 24th, students from grades 10 to 12 participated in the HNMCS Senior School Robotics’ STEAM week Math activity. Students in each tap group received a booklet with questions ( 3 questions for grades 10 and 7 questions for grades 11 and 12), where they solved the math problems together but without any teacher assisting.  The winners are: First place, Nashira  11/12, by solving an impressive 6 questions; Second place, Bella 11/12 and a tie for the competing of third place, Electra 9/10 and Chara 9/10. The questions assigned for each grade were all challenging but intriguing. Grade 10 to 12 students worked collaboratively, showing their outstanding math skills, communication skills, and enlightening house spirit.

On Monday, April 29th, all of the students at HNMCS participated in the STEAM week Lava Lamp activity. Members of the robotics team led the event for each group. Using oil, water, Alka-seltzer tablets, and food colouring, the students made cool lava lamps. Students got to learn about the science behind how lava lamps work. This was a great way to end STEAM Week hosted by HNMCS Robotics.

Jona: Communications Lead
Nemine, Sherry: 7659 Members

On Thursday, April 18, 2024, HNMCS Robotics participated in the Spring Cafe hosted at our school. The performance of our operator and driver was fantastic, showcasing all of the new elements incorporated into the robot as we went through the season.

Throughout the evening, the artistic factor of our team was presented during the intermission period, where we sold Lego sets made by our team, and our unique forms of creating not only a science-based club, but an artistic one as well.

We informed the parents of our well-rounded activities at our school and in our community. The night provided opportunities for our new members to interact with the community. As grade 9s, we had the opportunity to share our experiences with the parents, speaking of the robotics team from our own perspective and future experiences we hope to have.

Nemine and Katharine
7659 members

From April 4 – 6, 2024, HNMCS Robotics played at the Ontario Provincial Championship on the Technology Field. 100 teams were at the event and the event centre was full of energy! We met judges and teams from the McMaster and Centennial competitions again! At the event, we did the Engineering Inspiration presentation. On the field, the drive team showed a great performance! This was the first provincial event for the rookies. Rookies said that they had a great experience. Rookies were in all parts of the competition either as scouters, presenters, pit crew, and drive team!

On the other hand, this was the last event of the season for the Grade 12s. All team members successfully fulfilled their roles. The event was a great time for the members to grow in leadership and bond together! We would like to give a special thanks to the mentors, sponsors and parents for their support throughout the season. It wouldn’t have been possible without them! Overall the season was successful, being the captain of Alliance Four and winning the Engineering Inspiration award at Centennial College! 

HNMCS Robotics looks forward to performing the annual Spring Cafe, our first-ever STEAM Week event and Summer Camps.

Jona
Media Lead

From March 28 – 30, 2024, we attended our second FIRST Robotics Competition of the season at McMaster University. We’ve got to meet different teams and enjoy our time in the exciting competition. Many of HNMCS Robotics’ alumnae dropped by our pit and were amazed at the progress the team has made in 5 short years. 

Day 1 was quite thrilling as we competed with some of the best teams in the province. The drive team, awards team, scouting team, and pit crew all played significant roles in the competition and performed well.

Day 2 witnessed our great performance as well. Overall, this event was an amazing experience where students’ enthusiasm towards robotics was ignited. Through this event, our team members grew in leadership, teamwork, and respect for each other. 

The stellar performance of HNMCS Robotics has earned us a place to compete at the provincial level with the best of the best at the International Centre, April 3–6.

Sunny & Holly
7659 members

From March 8 – 10, 2024, we attended our very first First Robotics Competition of the season at Centennial College. We got to meet different teams and see what each of the teams prepared. Day 1 was very successful, we finished the day in 7th place out of 29 teams. The drive team, scouting team, and pit crew were amazing. Spotlight on Sissi and Sunny, they recently joined the school in January and have been dedicated to the team since day 1. Amy, Maya, and Simona presented the impact presentation as well. Although they were nervous, they went in and crushed it! Maya even said, “Impact was a fun new experience to gain skills!” The photo booth at our pit was a big hit! Members from other teams and even the judges came by for pictures!

Day 2 was another successful day as well. We completed the competition and formed the 4th alliance captain. Being an alliance captain was a new first for HNMCS Robotics. We invited team 9569 and team 9659 to be a part of our alliance 4. Through this event, our team members grew leadership, teamwork, and respect for each other. It was great to see the rookies strive and have fun at the competition. The rookies said that they really liked the experience and would definitely go to the other events. Overall this event was an amazing experience and we went home with the District Engineering Inspiration Award, which celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school or organization and community.”  HNMCS Robotics is already gearing up for our second competition at McMaster University, March 28-30.

On February 8, 2024, students in HNMCS’ Computer Science and Physics classes and Robotics Team, FRC 7659, went to the NGen N³ Summit! This summit was a forum for advanced manufacturing and innovation in Canada. Holy Name of Mary College School students represented Youth Culture Inc., a media company specializing in bringing youth together for interactive and meaningful experiences. Upon arriving, students were immersed in a panel discussion about robust electric vehicle value chains in Canada with members from Konnect AI, Recession Resource Canada and Electrovaya. The summit included a dynamic exhibition showcasing a myriad of cutting-edge platforms, products, and services, each heralding a new wave of innovation across industries. The second-panel discussion was about scaling AI, automation, and robotics solutions, giving our robotics team some new ideas and inspiration for their future creations. Students also had the opportunity to have a panel discussion with Linda Hasenfratz, Executive Chairman and CEO of Linamar Corporation, where they discussed advancements in manufacturing and the advancement of women in technological jobs. The experience at the N³ Summit broadened our students’ horizons of manufacturing and innovation. It sparked a renewed passion for technology, promising a future shaping the next generation of technological advancements.

As the new FRC season began, we began getting ready for the competition starting by building the field elements. Through weekdays and weekends, our members gathered to build. For most of the rookie members, it was their first time using tools such as the drill and the saw. We also started discussing game strategy and design concepts to play Crescendo. With the success of early prototyping, we are now designing in SOLIDWORKS. We are grateful to our mentor, Yixin, and HNMCS Robotics’ first captain for leading the weekly design sessions.

KickOff began on January 6th, 2024! We learned about the new additions to our robotics competitions, making them engaging and exciting for new players, as well as old. We divided into smaller groups to discuss strategies for the Crescendo competition! Each group made ideas and engaged in this activity. Finally, the groups showcased and shared their strategies and thoughts, some groups physically acted as robots and simulated throwing actions, which was fun! HNMCS Robotics is now ready to build and design the robot! We are excited for the new Crescendo season!

Olivia
Grade 12 Member, FRC 7659

On December 2nd, HNMCS Robotics hosted the 6th annual Business Brunch alongside Orbit Robotics. Business Brunch is an interactive event where business graduates join high school students to discuss education, university life, their current jobs, past jobs, and much more. As a first-year grade 9, business brunch was an enriching and enlightening experience. I was given the chance to help plan and lead this event. From this leadership role, I gained much insight into the robotics co-curricular and business careers. I believe that this event is important from a grade 9 perspective as it brings things into perspective and reality. One of the lessons I learned was that many of your post-secondary expectations tend to change completely not for the worse but for the better. The guests touched upon that changing a whole career path can be daunting especially if you have worked throughout high school towards a specific career. However, with hard work and dedication, this shift in career will be smoother. The speakers taught us some challenges that come with starting a business. They also encouraged us to fulfill our dream of having our own business. 

Holly
Grade 9 Member, FRC 7659

As a Giving Tuesday initiative, HNMCS Robotics worked with the Children’s Book Bank to collect books over the month of November. The Children’s Book Bank provides free books and literacy support to children in high-needs neighbourhoods in Toronto.  In total HNMCS Robotics collected over 400 books with the help of team members, school staff and students. An important aspect of HNMCS Robotics is giving back to the community. Our team members were excited to provide young families in need with the opportunity to have new books, especially during the holiday season. The team knows how important books are in fostering a love of learning. “I didn’t expect to learn much from a children’s book, but even in grade 10 I’m finding out new things from reading,” said Chelsea, a grade 10 student at HNMCS. Students left surprise greetings in the books extending the best wishes from HNMCS Robotics. 

HNMCS Robotics strives to support the greater community and used this book drive to rally the whole school community to provide less privileged children with access to books thereby improving literacy rates and bridging the gap between socioeconomic outcomes.

Amy
Captain, FRC 7659