This year’s Tournament of Minds (ToM) has the slogan ‘We’re thinking outside the box’, and it is switching to an online Super Challenge to continue to highlight the spirit of inquiry and love of learning for students. It shows that it too has been forced to evolve due to COVID-19 and its associated restrictions. The Super Challenge will still test our students’ abilities in creative thinking, problem solving and teamwork.
We have approximately 50 students participating in the Super Challenge, which has been specially designed to allow for virtual teamwork and film submission, with six weeks of preparation before the final video is submitted on Wednesday 9 September.
The College has been involved with ToM for 14 years and not only do we have teams representing us with students from Year 7 to 10, but we also have a mentor program where senior students who can no longer compete move into an advisor and supporter role. The students doing that this year are Shae Preston (11 Gold), Ryan Finette (12 Gold), Tara Vanstan (12 White), Rebecca Bullen (11 Gold), Olivia Pettinella (12 Orange) and Jamieson Manger (12 Gold).
This opportunity to work collaboratively in the current environment is something the students are all embracing. ToM is also environmentally and ethically responsible because it uses recyclable materials and the ‘spirit of ToM’ promotes acceptance of diversity and individuality.
In 2020 teams (with a maximum of seven students) can all be from one year level or a mixture of year levels and they can use elements from each of the four disciplines but one must be predominant. The four disciplines are Language Literature, Social Sciences, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and The Arts.
Teams must submit a five-minute video performance which includes all team members and only uses the allowable materials (with a maximum budget of $75). Judges will be looking for extended brainstorming, stagecraft skills, excitement, flair, creativity and impact related to their challenge solution. In previous years the teams had to do a long-term challenge and then present a spontaneous challenge in a 3x3m square in front of an audience. Students are still expected to use originality and collaboration, demonstrating their thinking and feeling abilities.
Good luck to all of our students and staff facilitators who are taking part this year.
