Students Power Up STEM Learning at NPSC’s First Multi-School FIRST LEGO League Festival
On May 13, 2026, the gymnasium at Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School was transformed into a high-energy hub of engineering, coding, and collaboration as students from across the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board (NPSC) came together for the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge Festival — the first multi-school competition of its kind for the board.
The festival brought together 25 student teams from Holy Cross, St. Francis, and St. Luke Catholic Elementary Schools, all representing French immersion classes, marking the culmination of months of learning, problem-solving, and teamwork. Designed for junior and intermediate students, the FLL Challenge is a global STEM program that encourages students to apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills to real-world problems.
Teams competed in two core components: the Robot Game and the Innovation Project, each designed to test creativity, technical skills, collaboration, and French-language communication.
For the robotics portion of the challenge, students designed, built, and programmed autonomous LEGO Spike Prime robots to navigate a themed competition field representing a smart energy grid. Using colour and distance sensors alongside custom coding, teams had just two and a half minutes to strategically capture, store, and distribute “energy units” (LEGO bricks) across the field to maximize their competition score. |
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The second component, the SUPERPOWEREDSM Innovation Project, challenged students to think beyond the competition field. Teams were tasked with identifying a real-world energy issue related to how energy is generated, stored, distributed, or consumed within their own communities. All innovation projects were researched, developed, and presented entirely in French, reinforcing students’ French Immersion learning while deepening their understanding of complex STEM concepts.
During the festival, teams delivered a five-minute pitch to a panel of judges, showcasing a physical model, prototype, or detailed display board to explain their ideas. Students also shared how they consulted real-world experts to refine their designs, demonstrating critical thinking, collaboration, and the ability to apply classroom learning to real-life challenges. |
The festival celebrated student achievement, innovation, and French-language excellence, while highlighting NPSC’s commitment to hands-on learning experiences that empower students to engage with real-world challenges through STEM education.
Award Winners
LEGO Robotics
- Les Canards (St. Francis School): Charlotte Cotnam, Charleigh Giroux, Khloe Knight
- Les tortues électriques (St. Francis School): Lilian Chalmers, Gage Leblanc, Xander
- Danny Corns (Holy Cross School): Ava Johnson, Sierra Kroetsch
Innovation Prizes
- Best Overall – Intermediate: Spider-Man (Holy Cross School): Grace Cook-Lindsay, Tessa Miller-Delorme
- Best Overall – Junior: Les tortues électriques (St. Francis School): Lilian Chalmers, Gage Leblanc, Xander
- Most Innovative: Les chefs du chilli (St. Luke School): Jasper Anello, Logan Ward
- Best Visual Presentation: Les Canards (St. Francis School): Charlotte Cotnam, Charleigh Giroux, Khloe Knight
- Best Oral Presentation: Danny Corns (Holy Cross School): Ava Johnson, Sierra Kroetsch