The College had two teams reach the State Finals of the Tournament of Minds (TOMS) Competition that was held in Perth at ECU on Saturday, 11th September. This was a feat in itself, as the competition to reach the finals was intense, with only four teams chosen per discipline out of the hundreds that enter.
For those who don’t know what TOMS is, herewith a brief introduction: it is an International Educational Program developed for creative students across all sectors of primary, intermediate and secondary school education. It provides a dynamic approach to learning, whilst developing students’ enthusiasm for experimentation, problem finding and problem-solving.
Students are formed into vertically grouped team structures in four discipline groups: STEM; The Arts; Language Literature; and Social Sciences. Team members work together for six weeks - without assistance from teachers, parents or peers - to develop a creative way to communicate their solution to a panel of judges and an audience, working within pre-determined parameters, complex criteria and the deadline of Tournament Day. The teams must also participate in an unseen Spontaneous Challenge on the day.
The College is incredibly proud of the students in the Language Literature team (Zahara, Arlen, Indigo, Raya, Conlan, Emily and Kade) and in the ARTS team (Charlie, Declan, Ruairi, Jacob, Lucas, Aiden and Laughlan) who truly celebrated the spirit of TOMS and performed wonderfully. Although they didn’t win, they learnt a great deal, enjoyed the competition and look forward to going back next year.
Mrs Sally Ball
English Teacher and Tournament of Minds Coach and Mentor
