ROBOTICS ROYALTY

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December 16, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Celebrating another outstanding showing for Notre Dame Prep robotics at the VEX IQ League finals.

Notre Dame Prep’s VEX IQ League teams delivered an exceptional performance at the league finals last Saturday for students in grades three through six, continuing the school’s proud tradition of excellence in competitive robotics.

The VEX IQ League is an international robotics competition program designed to introduce elementary and middle school students to engineering, coding, teamwork, and problem-solving. Teams design, build, and program robots to complete game-based challenges, while also being evaluated on collaboration, innovation, and their ability to clearly communicate their engineering process through interviews and detailed engineering notebooks. The league emphasizes both technical skill and the core values of STEM learning.

At the finals, which featured 14 teams, Notre Dame Prep’s highest-placing alliance earned a tie for second place. This alliance paired Team 3333G, fifth graders Jacob Romanosky, Brad Schaeffer and William Janka, with Team 3333A, fourth graders Katherine Hufstedler, Parker McCormick and Juliette Opie. Their robots performed so impressively they were placed on the “throne” during the finals match and remained there for an extended run, only to be dethroned late in the competition by the winning alliance from Cranbrook Schools.

In addition to their strong competitive finish, Team 3333G earned the Design Award, recognizing their well-documented design process, thoughtful engineering notebook, and an outstanding team interview. Team 3333A also took home the Judges Award, highlighting the team’s exceptional interview and clear articulation of their work and collaboration.

Notre Dame Prep’s success extended even further with Team 3333Y, sixth graders Chuck Harding, Mazen Sheqwara, Zach Zara, Ishaan Goldsmith and Jack Yarbrough, winning the Innovate Award for the most innovative robot design at the competition. Their creative approach and technical ingenuity stood out among a strong field of competitors.

“All in all, despite falling just short of first place, it was an outstanding performance by our VEX IQ teams,” said Louise Palardy, Notre Dame Prep chemistry teacher, STEM specialist and manager of the school’s VEX robotics activity.

With a longstanding history of success in robotics competitions, Notre Dame Prep continues to demonstrate its commitment to STEM education, teamwork and innovation. Congratulations to all of our students and mentor on another remarkable league season and a performance that reflects once again the hard work, creativity and passion of our robotics program.

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper 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 Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP 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, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.