Lion Cup - Diocese of Venice Robotics Tournament
The Lion Cup — a STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math) middle and high school robotics tournament — included 150 competitors and 23 teams that represented 13 Diocesan Catholic schools. The competition was fierce, and the intensity built as the day progressed and the participants became laser-focused on being the best. The competition was fierce as teams programed their robots to accomplish various tasks in a specific order in a limited amount of time. The middle school robots are made from Lego pieces and as they go through the obstacle course, their autonomous robot picks up items along the way. Teamwork comes into play in design, construction and strategy. The high school robots are 10 times larger and are both autonomous and have a remote control.
The Lion Cup honors St. Mark, one of the patron saints of the Diocese of Venice, whose symbol features a winged lion. The competition also pays homage to Leonardo da Vinci, inventor of many of the first robots, one of which resembles a lion. “Da Vinci’s works incorporate three design attributes developed by Vitruvius, a famous Roman architect and engineer: Firmitas (strength), Utilitas (utility) and Venustas (beauty),” Father Belmonte said. “All three of these attributes will be aspects of our students’ robotic designs. The students have been preparing for this tournament for months and were eager to compete.”
Special awards were presented to the teams that reflected the attributes of Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas.
The Department of Education at the Diocese of Venice plans to host larger robotics competitions every year, possibly opening the invitation to other schools throughout Florida.
Epiphany earned 2nd Place in the Middle School division and the Venustas (Beauty) Award. Congratulations to our TechTigers.