With a blast of confetti and streamers, the Diocese of Venice Catholic Schools Lion Cup V Robotics Tournament kicked off April 18, 2026, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Port Charlotte.
The Lion Cup – a STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math) middle and high school round-robin tournament included more than 200 competitors and 29 teams representing all 15 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. Emotions ran high as teams raced to program their robots to accomplish various tasks in a specific order in a limited amount of time. “Fun!” “Amazing!” “Awesome!” “Intense!” “Wonderful!” were just some of the emotions the student competitors expressed at the end of the day.
The St. Andrew Catholic School team, CTRL+ALT+WIN, from Cape Coral topped the middle school competition. The final match was against their classmates from the ALL Sparks team. In the high school tournament, the Verot Bots 1 team of Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers took the top prize, passing The Chasers team from St. John Neumann Catholic High School in Naples which had an unfortunate malfunction in the finals. Each championship team was awarded a trophy, with the team’s name engraved on it. These trophies will be kept at the respective schools for the next year, until the Lion Cup VI tournament in 2027.
Utilizing the First Lego League Masterpiece challenge set, the middle school robots were made from Lego pieces and traversed an obstacle course, attempting to pick up items along the way. Teamwork came into play in design, construction and strategy. Students coded their robots to autonomously complete missions for points.
The high school robots are 10 times larger and are both autonomous and remotely controlled as they complete assigned tasks. In the competition, the robots needed to pick up and place blocks in receptacles or hang them on a railing. Bonus points were awarded for completing the tasks in the allotted time, as well as for being able to suspend the robot from support bars.
The teams participated in a round-robin format with each team getting the chance to have their robot compete at least twice. The top teams made the semifinals, and the eventual high school and middle school winners were crowned.
Dr. Jennifer Falestiny, Diocesan Director of Curriculum and Instruction, organized the event and said it was the largest and most competitive event since its inception. “Everyone came well prepared and you saw teams gain points that would have qualified them for world competitions. It is wonderful to see everyone get so involved and excited about STREAM and robotics.”
Father John Belmonte, SJ, Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Education, said the few hours of competition brought out the best from the students and reflected their core Catholic virtues.
The Lion Cup honors St. Mark, the patron saint 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). Special awards were presented to the teams that reflected the attributes of Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas. These superlative awards were based on the review of undercover judges.
The day opened with a prayer led by Father Belmonte and then a blasting off of personal confetti poppers and streamers. Many parents, family members, principals and teachers attended the competition, cheering on the students and teams.
The winning teams were:
Middle school
1st – CTRL+ALT+WIN – St. Andrew Catholic School, Cape Coral
2nd – ALL Sparks St. Andrew Catholic School, Cape Coral
3rd – Team Phoenix – St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School, Port Charlotte
High School
1st – Verot Bots 1 – Bishop Verot Catholic High School, Fort Myers
2nd – The Chasers – St. John Neumann Catholic High School, Naples
3rd – L’il Naylor – Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, Sarasota
Firmitas – Strength – St. Mark – Patron of the Diocese of Venice – positive Catholic strength, culture and character
Middle school – Dragons 2 – St. Mary Academy, Sarasota
High School – Verot Bots 1 – Bishop Verot Catholic High School
Utilitas – Utility – St. Marcina – Patron Saint of Robots – robotic design and function
Middle School – CTRL+ALT+WIN – St. Andrew Catholic School, Cape Coral
High School – The Chasers – St. John Neumann Catholic High School, Naples
Venustas – Beauty – Our Lady – robotic design, innovation and creativity
Middle School – Robotics Dolphin 1 – St. Ann Catholic School, Naples
High School – Glitter Gliders – St. John Neumann Catholic High School, Naples
