NOTRE DAME ROBOTICS TEAMS PAIR UP FOR HIGHEST SCORE RECORDED IN STATE

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February 13, 2022 

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Two sixth-grade VEX IQ teams bring home the hardware from tourney Saturday in Lapeer, await state championship on Feb. 26.

Notre Dame's sixth-grade VEX IQ Challenge robotics teams competed against 24 other teams from southeast Michigan at the Chimera Robotics VEX IQ ES/MS Pitching In Tournament in Lapeer this past Saturday and brought home the top prizes. 

The two teams, consisting of Sofia Arinez and Vanessa Artinian as team 3333M, also known as "The Green Oranges"; and Christopher Artinian, Anthony DiGrande, Caden Staniszewski, Dante Nowinski and Preston Schlachter, who make up team 3333S, aka "Gerald," now await the state finals at the end of the month. 

Both of the Notre Dame teams were already having strong seasons going into Saturday's event, each having won previous competitions. But on Saturday, they were completely dominant, leading the event from start to finish, according to Jerry Palardy, Notre Dame's robotics mentor and coach. 

"In VEX IQ competition, matches are played with two robots on the field at a time, but instead of battling each other, they must work together to complete tasks and score points," Palardy said. "In the qualification rounds, consisting of eight matches with randomly assigned partners, team 3333S finished first, and 3333M finished second."

For the finals, they were paired up with each other and together they obtained the highest score recorded in Michigan this year, earning them the Tournament Champions award. 

"To top it off, team 3333M won the Excellence Award, which is given to the best overall team as selected by a panel of judges at the event," Palardy added.

Next up is the VEX IQ state championship, which will be in Grandville on February 26.

More on VEX IQ robotics:
The VEX IQ Challenge, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, provides elementary and middle school students with exciting, open-ended robotics challenges that enhance their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills through hands-on, student-centered learning. The VEX IQ Challenge fosters student development of the teamwork, critical thinking, project management, and communication skills required to prepare them to become the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

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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. Notre Dame Preparatory School 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 schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.