HNMCS Senior Robotics
Within our School
HNMCS is dedicated to encouraging and inspiring our students to learn more about STEM and one of the best ways to showcase what STEM is all about is to have fun and compete. For the past three years, HNMCS senior robotics students have taken part in Orbit Robotics, the Oakville community’s FIRST Robotics Team. For the uninitiated, FIRST is For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology and it’s a leading not-for-profit STEM engagement program for kids around the world.
Now, HNMCS senior robotics is planning to start its own competitive FIRST Robotics Competition Team (FRC). They are developing a practice robot for the 2018 competition.
Robotics is about so much more than robots. Students gain lifelong experiences while making a difference in the community.
This is my second year on the HNMCS Robotics Team, it has given me a lot of opportunities to try new things, such as building, helping out with the FLL bot and a lot of networking. I especially love bonding with my friends.
HNMCS is proving itself to be an integral promoter of STEM in society. In the fall we held two inaugural events at HNMCS: Engineering Career Night and STEM Day. Geared to high school students, Engineering Career Night saw seven professional engineers from different disciplines talk about the pros and cons of engineering, university life and what it’s like to be a woman in engineering. It was a great success, with more than 100 attendees. We hope to do it bigger and better this year.
STEM Day was an in-house event where the senior robotics team developed and delivered a variety of STEM activities and experiments for students from grades 5 to 12.
On May 12, Orbit Robotics and Holy Name of Mary College School will host the third annual RoboScience Expo. This is an amazing event where robotics teams come and showcase their robots as well as promote FIRST in our community.
Orbit Robotics
2018 Season
Oakville’s Orbit Robotics FRC team 1360, which includes three HNMCS senior robotics students, has made tremendous improvements in both performance and team efficiency. Throughout build season, Orbit was able to strategize a robot that would perform well in matches. Orbit had a near perfect record in both qualifying district competitions and was ranked #1 out of 157 teams heading into the FIRST Ontario Provincial Championship.
This year, Orbit had amazing growth allowing us to be recognized for our hard work, and I’m proud of what we’ve done as a team!
Orbit’s outreach sub-team also flourished this year. With excellent organization and strong leaders, Orbit continued its impactful activities in the community to involve people in STEM. This outreach was recognized when Orbit won the Chairman’s Award at the York University District Event.
As a rookie in FIRST Robotics Competitions, every second is exciting for me, whether it is the moment of winning the Chairman’s Award or our first successful double climb on the field. FIRST Robotics, as many people would say, is much more than just the robot we build. It is about a group of inspired and passionate students designing the future. Being in Robotics is one of the best things in my life.
I enjoy robotics so much! Competitions are one of my favorite events, because there is nothing like it! I have learned so much and have been given so many leadership opportunities that help me grow as a person. I am excited for what the future may hold for HNMCS.
Check out more information on the third annual RoboScience Expo held here at Holy Name of Mary College School on May 12, 2018 by clicking on the image above.