Fifth-grade team finishes 20th in the world.
More than 70 from the Notre Dame community traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, last week for the 2016 VEX Worlds. More photos from the trip are below.
The various Notre Dame teams from the lower and middle divisions, collectively known as the Bumble Bees, did very well with Team #3333A, comprised of 5th-grade boys, finishing 20th in the world. Team 3333A is Dylan Davis, Oliver Kayi, Aaron Palardy, Vlad Lovin, John Milback and Jackson Krieger. It was the third year in a row that a Notre Dame team made the finals.
“What a great experience,” said Louise Palardy, who along with her husband, Jerry, helps mentor Notre Dame’s teams. “The event was held at the Kentucky Expo Center in a space larger than Cobo Center in Detroit. There was non-stop activity from morning to night.”
“All of our teams did well representing our school and the State of Michigan at VEX Worlds last week,” Palardy said. “Standing on that stage, under the bright lights, and in front of that big crowd can be scary and intimidating for anyone. But our kids showed that they could handle the pressure, and when things didn't go their way they recovered gracefully.”
The J Team (4th-grade boys) was very close to making it into the finals, but still finished 44th overall in their division, which consisted of 150 of the best elementary teams in the world. The Z Team (6th and 7th-grade boys) finished in the top half of the middle school division and the S Team (3rd-grade girls) finished in 143rd place, which made them the highest ranked of all 3rd-grade girls team in the world.
About the VEX IQ Challenge
The VEX IQ Challenge, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, is a relatively new STEM program for elementary and middle school students (ages 8-14). Students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors, build robots using the VEX IQ robotics platform to solve an engineering challenge that is presented in the form of a game. VEX IQ Challenge teams work together scoring points in Teamwork Matches, and also display their robot’s skills individually in driver controlled and autonomous Skills Challenges. In addition to building robots, the VEX IQ Challenge encourages students to actively learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics with a STEM-themed research project that consists of a written or media presentation.
Team 3333S, comprised of third-grade girls from Notre Dame, are in their pit. Aaron Palardy and Jackson Krieger are on Bumble Bees Team 3333A, which finished 20th in the world. Bumble Bees Team 3333Z is with their robot and some of the awards they have earned recently. Two members of a team from Hawaii talk about their strategy.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.