A team of six Year 10 students from St Patrick’s Parish School has achieved an outstanding result at the Tournament of Minds international final, held in Sydney on 1 November taking out second place (Honours) in the arts discipline.

The talented team of Zoe Abrokwah, Lilly Coombe, Stephanie Warner, Senudi Abeysinghe, Pahanma Perera, and Natalia Zieja represented the ACT and competed against teams from each state of Australia as well as teams from overseas including New Zealand, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.

The challenge required students to work collaboratively for three hours in a locked down room to develop a creative solution to a complex problem using only a limited set of materials. They then were required to perform their solution in a dramatic and imaginative presentation, showcasing their creativity, critical thinking and teamwork.

Team facilitator and St Patrick’s secondary teacher, Kerrie Harris, said it was a privilege to witness the students’ growth over their years of involvement in the competition.

“This is the third year in a row that this team has represented the ACT at the international finals,” Mrs Harris said.

“As Year 10 students, this was their final Tournament of Minds challenge, and they were determined to finish on a high. They gave it everything, and they’re absolutely thrilled to be awarded runners-up.”

Western Australia claimed first place in The Arts, with St Patrick’s being the only school representing the ACT to place in any discipline at the international final.

Tournament of Minds is a problem-solving competition that challenges students in four disciplines - STEM, The Arts, Language Literature, and Social Sciences. Teams work under pressure to solve long-term and spontaneous challenges, demonstrating creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.

The school’s STEM team of Lilly-Maeve Merry, Tammy Benson, Natalee White, Anastasia Bek, Angus Courtney, Jwanita Bosco, and Agnes Aby Philip also did a fantastic job, principal Dr Sean Mangan said.

“They were one of the few STEM teams to bring humour into their scientific presentation, which was well received, though they unfortunately didn’t place in the top three,” Dr Mangan said.

“A huge thank you to Kerrie Harris and all the staff and parents who supported the students at the regional and state competitions, accommodated them with classwork and assessments, and cheered them on over the past few months.

“A special thank you to Kath Kovacs for helping Kerrie with the two teams in Sydney over the three days, it was greatly appreciated.”