Magnificat High School is hosting a LEGO robotics event called "Magnifibot" for 100 girls in grades 5-8 on September 22nd. The event is a collaboration with the Great Lakes Science Center and will have the girls building and programming robots using LEGO NXT technology. The goal is to engage the girls in STEM learning and promote skills like teamwork. The event will take place in Magnificat High School's new learning center, which aims to advance scientific and technological education.

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CONTACTS:
• Karen Uthe Semancik, Director of Communications, (440) 331-1572, ext. 282, kuthe@magnificaths.org
• Mary Van Dalen, VP of Marketing, (440) 331-1572, ext. 257, mvandalen@magnificaths.org
MAGNIFICAT HIGH SCHOOL ANNOUNCES ‘MAGNIFIBOT’
A LEGO ROBOTICS DAY FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 5-8
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Event is sold out with 100 girls attending. First event of its kind held outside Great Lakes Science Center.
(ROCKY RIVER, OH) –Magnificat High School’s young women scientists have teamed up with Great Lakes
Science Center to sponsor a LEGO Robotics Day for Girls in Grades 5-8 this Saturday, September 22 from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m.at Magnificat High School.
One hundred junior high-aged girls will be building and programming robots using the LEGO NXT technology
at the event. The days’ activities will engage young women in STEM-oriented explorations while promoting
team-building and collaborative learning, reflecting Magnificat High School’s Mission of holistically educating
young women to learn, lead and serve.
Teams will work under the instruction of highly trained LEGO and robotics experts from Great Lakes Science
Center to create then program robots to move forward and backward, follow an obstacle course, and stop in a
designated area. “Our lead instructor, Jon Darr, is phenomenal when it comes to LEGO Robotics. He spent 16
years working with NASA and their robotics program, as well as being highly involved with robotic
competitions all over the country,” says Ian Roberts, Director of Youth and Family Engagement at Great Lakes
Science Center. “Playing with LEGOs and robotics makes a connection to the real-world application of
engineering and math. We are proud to team up with Magnificat High School to be able to offer this type of
event.”
The STEM subjects—Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—are are integral to the Magnificat
curriculum. According to Marilyn Arundel, Dean of Faculty and Academics, “Exposing girls to them at an
early age can spark their interest and foster their curiosity in these areas, and lead to enhanced STEM success in
Magnificat High School
20770 Hilliard Blvd.
Rocky River, Ohio 44116-3397
www.magnificaths.org
Recipient of the National Exemplary Private School Award 44o.331-1572

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high school and beyond. Magnificat students excel in STEM-related courses and internship opportunities, and
many embrace these disciplines in their post-high school educational and career paths.”
The Magnifibot event will take place in the new Magnificat High School Surround Learning Center, which is
being unveiled to the public on Thursday, September 20. The new Surround Learning Center provides students
with an environment fostering academic, communication, scientific and technological innovations. The
redesigned space advances and supports the production of new knowledge, providing a transparent venue in
which information can be processed and synthesized, contributing to ongoing creative and critical conversations
with experts as well as peers. It’s a perfect setting for Magnifibot!
For more information on Magnifibot, A LEGO Robotics Day for Girls in Grades 5-8, please contact Karen Uthe
at (440) 331-1572, ext. 282, or at (216) 598-6361 (cell).
Magnificat High School, located at 20770 Hilliard Blvd. in Rocky River, is a girls’ Catholic college-preparatory
high school, founded and sponsored by the Sisters of the Humility of Mary that calls young women to live
Mary’s Magnificat in the world.
Editor’s Note: Magnifibot has sold out a week and a half in advance, with 100 girls registered. A waiting list
was started, and we hope to do this again in the future.
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Magnificat High School
20770 Hilliard Blvd.
Rocky River, Ohio 44116-3397
www.magnificaths.org
Recipient of the National Exemplary Private School Award 44o.331-1572