This is an annual Asia Pacific problem-solving competition for students from Year 4 to 10.
This year, it involved 15,000 students across Australia, New Zealand and South-east Asia and was divided into four disciplines: science technology, engineering mathematics, social sciences and language literature.
The Sacred Heart College language literature team, made up of Year 7 to 10 students Natasha Gill, Paris Doick, Tara Prentice, Euan Hough, Trent Wilson, Monica Olea and Emily Woodall, endured regional and State rounds before qualifying for the national championships on the Gold Coast, where they beat teams from Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.
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The school had initially entered nine teams in the regional finals at ECU Joondalup and six of these teams won places to compete in the State final.
Three of these teams then went on to compete for WA in the national championships: language literature, science technology and engineering mathematics.
Sacred Heart head of gifted and talented education Tanya Atherton, who is also the Tournament of Minds WA director, said some Year 10 girls had competed every year for the past 7 years without a win, so it was “fitting to go out in such a superb fashion”.
Student Tara Prentice said the competition gave them “an opportunity in creative thinking, team collaboration and spontaneity”.
“The experience will certainly help us all in the future in the way we work with others, think under pressure and discover |solutions to problems in the world today,” she said.