Magis report 

What a week it has been for the Magis Program!

Firstly, congratulations to our World Scholars Teams who competed in the Perth Regional Round of the World Scholars Cup at Aquinas College last Friday and at Sacred Heart College on Saturday. Over 400 students took part in this year’s competition! Our teams researched, discussed, and debated topics such as science, art, music, history, literature, and much more. Their outstanding achievements were recognised in the Closing Ceremony, where our students won gold and silver medals, along with Champion Scholar prizes, in a wide range of categories. Special mention to one of our Senior Teams, Year 10 students Jennifer Ong, Janelle Raman, and Amelia Watts, who were awarded the First Place Trophy for most Outstanding Debate Team. Jennifer was also selected as one of eight students to perform at the Debate Showcase, and it was wonderful to see our teams cheer loudly for Jennifer when she took to the stage. 

Samuel Watts (Year 7) and Charlie Pronk (Year 9) were named our College’s Top Junior and Senior World Scholars. 

Samuel Watts: 

'Participating in the World Scholar’s Cup was a wonderful and memorable experience. I loved the friendly and supportive atmosphere among the other scholars, who shared my passion for learning and exploring new topics. I learned a lot from the different challenges, such as debating and creative writing, which tested my intellectual abilities and creativity. These challenges made me think critically and imaginatively about the world and myself. This experience is one I will truly cherish for years to come!'

Charlie Pronk:

The World Scholar’s Cup is an amazing competition that involves teamwork, creativity, collaboration and a whole lot of fun! Over the two days, you work closely as a team, forming bonds with students from other schools while working on academic challenges. Thank you so much Ms Farley for all the time and effort you spent preparing us and organising it!

I would like to thank Mr Nathan Munns (Technologies Teacher) for all his support and assistance over the two days. The highlight of this competition for me was certainly seeing the wonderful camaraderie displayed by the students, supporting each other throughout the two-day competition, and I commend them on being outstanding College ambassadors. The superb achievements of our scholars means that they have qualified for the Global Rounds of the World Scholars Cup. 

Our 2023 World Scholars:

Round 4 of the WA Debating League (WADL) Schools Debating Competition (SDC) was held on a very cold and wet Tuesday night at Shenton College. Our Novice Teams debated the topic: ‘This house would encourage schools to study controversial texts, such as Of Mice and Men, The Scarlet Letter and The Catcher in the Rye’. Our Junior and Senior Teams took part in an impromptu debate, which meant that they arrived an hour before their scheduled debate to receive their topic and construct their position without the use of the internet or any supplementary resources. All teams performed admirably, and we congratulate them on a terrific effort. 

The final of the Homeroom Academic Challenge was held on Wednesday morning, with our Years 11 and 12 students taking part in a quiz that tested their knowledge of Humanities, Art, Languages and Literature. Was great to see students getting into House spirit! Congratulations to our Year group winners: 

• Year 11: Thomas Syminton (Loreto)
• Year 12: Ann Cullity (Campion) and Ruth Mengler (St Louis)

Congratulations to St Louis House – who were the overall (Years 7-12) champions for this challenge. Pictured is Ms Power’s Homeroom, Year 10 St Louis, celebrating their win – as the top performing Year 10 Homeroom.

The Quarter-Finals of our College Chess Tournament were also held this week, and we congratulate the following students who will be progressing to the Semi Finals:

• Christopher Tan (Year 7)
• Joshua Standen (Year 8)
• Massimo Torre (Year 11)
• Robert Douglass (Year 12) 

Fixtures have been emailed to chess players and can be found on the Magis Noticeboard and in SEQTA notices. We wish all our players the best of luck with their next game – it is sure to be an exciting one! Special thanks to Mr Connellan and Ms De Pinto for their ongoing support and assistance.

Yesterday morning, some of our Year 10 Magis students met with a group of Year 11s in the Collaborative Learning Hub, within the Ignatian Centre, as part of our student lead academic mentoring program. The Year 11s spoke about their experience in Year 10 and provided study tips and guidance in achieving academic goals. Special thanks to Year 11 mentors Felix Frichot, Asha Paton, and Thomas Syminton. The aim of this program is to promote positive peer cooperation and to allow for the trickling-down of advice and words of wisdom, from a student perspective. 

The amazing talents of our top public speakers were on display last night in the Gonzaga Barry Lecture Theatre for the Grand Final of the College Public Speaking Competition. The audience was thoroughly entertained, as students spoke about topics such as climate change, US gun laws, Greek mythology, existentialism and plant music, to name but a few. It was lovely to see so many siblings taking part, the Pallis sisters and the Torre brothers (pictured below), and younger siblings following in the path of their older siblings, Jennifer Ong and Luke Green following in the footsteps of their siblings who graduated last year.

We congratulate all the grand finalists on their exemplary performances. Special thanks to alumni Isabelle Pether (Class 2021) and Aden Cleghorn (Class 2019) for adjudicating. The results will be announced in next week’s College Newsletter, with trophies and medals to be awarded to students at our Magis Awards Breakfast later this year.

Lastly, we wish Year 11 student, Thomas Syminton, the best of luck at the first State Semi-Final of the 2023 Plain English Speaking Awards (PESA), which will be held tomorrow at Crawford Hall. 

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

FameLab Academy

Attention all Years 8 and 9 students who enjoy STEM and public speaking! FameLab is the largest, public-facing science communication competition and training program in the world - hosted in over 35 countries. FameLab Academy is run in Western Australia and is the schools’ version for Year 8 and Year 9 students. This competition was created to develop young people as science communicators by increasing their scientific knowledge and building their confidence and communication skills. There are great prizes! The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,500, and two runners-up will each receive $1,000. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Monday 12 June.

Creative Edge Thinking 

The Creative Edge Problem Solving Challenge is an innovative educational competition providing students with motivating challenges that will develop both critical and creative thinking skills. Students compete in teams to solve an open-ended challenge in one of the following disciplines: Literature and Communication or Society and Environment (HASS). This year’s regional final will be held at Curtin University. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Monday 12 June.

Tournament of Minds

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is an international problem-solving program for teams of students. TOM's aim is to enhance the potential of our youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment. Teams will be required to solve demanding, open-ended challenges in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) discipline. Regional and state finals will be held at Edith Cowan University in September (Term 3) with the international final to be held in Melbourne in October. For more information, please see the Magis Coordinator. Expressions of interest are due by Monday 12 June.

TEDx Kings Park Youth Competition

Win you own TEDx talk! If you’re a West Australian aged 14-21 with an idea for change, TEDx Kings Park, in partnership with Curtin University, can help. Your idea could be small and handy, or big and world-changing, for people, for the environment, maybe for the world. If you’re one of the five finalists, you’ll share your idea on the main stage of the State Theatre Centre of WA at the TEDx Kings Park Youth Event (see below). Entry is easy: Simply upload a 30-second video of you sharing your idea by 30 June. Five finalists will receive professional curation and coaching in public speaking. For more information click here, or speak with the Magis Coordinator.

Invitation to TEDx Kings Park Youth Event

Australia’s largest TEDx event for young people is back, at the State Theatre Centre of WA on Saturday 29 July. In one action-packed afternoon, students aged 14-21 will experience nine world premiere TEDx talks, performances and short films from WA’s young creative community and, in the breaks, interactive installations and complimentary food and refreshments. This is a powerful event for young people: to be stimulated by fresh ideas, and original approaches, and connect with the global TEDx community. If you would like to attend as part of our College delegation, please email your expression of interest to the Magis Coordinator by 30 June.

Term 2 calendar

You can keep up to date with Magis and Altiora events by following the Term 2 calendar – which can be accessed by clicking on the link below. 

Daisy Farley

Magis Coordinator – Gifted and Talented