With a blast of confetti, the Diocese of Venice Catholic Schools Lion Cup IV Robotics Tournament kicked off April 12, 2025, at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers.
The Lion Cup – a STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math) middle and high school round-robin tournament included more than 200 competitors and 28 teams representing many of the 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. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School team from Naples topped the middle school competition. The final match, against the Falcons 27 Blue team from St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Fort Myers, ended in a tie with identical scores. The Seton team was declared the tournament winner by virtue of their finishing all of their tasks faster. In the high school tournament, the Verot Bots 2 team of host Bishop Verot took the top prize. 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 Lion Cup V tournament in 2026.
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 an eventual winner was crowned. In between the intense competition the teams had tacos and ice cream.
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.
Citing Thomas Edison, an inventor who spent his winter months in Fort Myers, as an example, Father Belmonte said the students needed to know that even if they make mistakes, they will learn something and not make that mistake again.
“Failure is simply a way to learn. It’s all about learning,” Father Belmonte said.
Jennifer Falestiny, Diocesan Curriculum Specialist, organized the event and was pleased to see so many competitors. “It is wonderful to see everyone get so involved and excited about STREAM and robotics.”
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. Many parents, family members, principals and teachers attended the competition, cheering on the students and teams.
The winning teams were:
Middle school
1st – Seton – St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School, Naples
2nd – Falcons 27 Blue – St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, Fort Myers
3rd – Falcons 27 Yellow – St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, Fort Myers
High School
1st – Verot Bots 2 – Bishop Verot Catholic High School, Fort Myers
2nd – Steel Cats 2 – Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, Sarasota
3rd – Verot Bots 3 – Bishop Verot Catholic High School, Fort Myers
Firmitas – Strength – St. Mark –Patron of the Diocese of Venice – positive Catholic strength, culture and character
Middle school – ECS Tigers – Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School, Venice
High school – Verot Bots 1 – Bishop Verot Catholic High School, Fort Myers
Utilitas – Utility – St. Marcina – Patron Saint of Robots – robotic design and function
Middle school – Falcons 27 Yellow – St. Francis Xavier
High school – Verot Bots 2 – Bishop Verot Catholic High School
Venustas – Beauty – Our Lady – robotic design, innovation and creativity
Middle school – St. Joseph 8th grade – St. Joseph Catholic School, Bradenton
High school – Verot Bots 3 – Bishop Verot Catholic High School
Congratulations to the winners, and to all who participated in this challenging competition!
