Of mysteries and modified trees – Tournament of the Minds
Of mysteries and modified trees – Tournament of the Minds
October 18, 2022 at 4:18 PM
A mystery person is delivered to the local police station with no memory, speech, or idea of where they are. The only hint of identity is their clothing, a rare piece of jewellery, and some body markings.
Who are they, and where did they come from?
This was the Regional Tournament of the Minds where students are tasked to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative and divergent thinking while developing collaborative enterprise, excellence and teamwork. This year, the event saw seven Girls’ School Arts team members push themselves to unravel the mystery by using clues hidden within the fabric and markings of Jane Doe.
They were quick on their feet, presenting their findings to a panel of judges in a restricted 3x3 area in only 10 minutes. It was amazing to see elements of speech, drama, music and visual art come together brilliantly from each participating team. We are pleased to share that for the first time, our Girls’ School Arts team proudly placed second, narrowly missing the overall winner’s title!
Our Arts team were not the only representation at the event, as our STEM team also wore the blue and white with pride. In contrast, their presentation required the use of IT components, design and STEM processes to complete the task.
Teams also participated in the Spontaneous Challenge ‘Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees’. With only four minutes to brainstorm and one minute to present, they were given a utopian scenario where scientists have created genetically modified trees that can grow anything. In their pitch, participants had to convince the judges of three things they would grow on their tree that would have a global impact.
Congratulations to all our Year 8 Unique Pathways students for stepping up to the challenge. A special acknowledgement to the Arts team members Sophie Lochead, Zoe Dodson, Vesa Zajmi, Amelia Paterson, Aisling Burns, Chloe Kim-Johnson and Chloe Ira for their creative mystery-solving performance that won them second place at the tournament.
