Thinkers, Solvers and Debaters!  

Future Problem Solving Program Australia

Dee Broughton, Gifted and Talented Coordinator

As part of the Gifted and Talented program at Kilvington, selected students from Years 7-11 had the opportunity to participate in the Future Problem Solving Program of Australia (FPSP).

The FPSP is a nationally recognised competition that requires students to research competition-set topics that may pose problems for society in the future. The students analyse the ethical, environmental, social, and economic consequences of these trends and develop possible solutions, and in doing so, develop the critical and creative thinking skills that are so necessary in a 21st century society.

This year, we had one team participating in Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS) senior division – congratulations to Aimee Coquillat, Jasmine Fassoulis, Holly Haslauer and Gemma Webb (Year 11) for all their efforts! Thank you also to Miss Laura Furze, dedicated teacher and FPSP Coach.

We also had a number of students participating in the Scenario Writing division of FPSP. This is a short story writing competition with set topics that raise challenges and problems for society now and in 20 years’ time. This competition challenges and extends students who are talented writers and fosters critical and creative thinking.

We had excellent submissions from the following students: David Overton (Year 7), Hamish Bruce (Year 7), Ethan Dharmawardena (Year 8), Elisabeth Yeo (Year 10) and Gabby Lim (Year 10).

Elisabeth and Gabby achieved great success, achieving 4th and 6th place in Australia, respectively. Huge congratulations to both girls! They will now travel to Sydney for the National Finals to be held at Knox Grammar School, where they will participate in a number of writing activities.

The top individuals from the National round will be invited to the FPSP International Conference, to be held in the USA next year. We wish Gabby and Elisabeth well in Sydney, and hope they find the finals a rewarding experience!

Excursion to the Victorian Space Science Centre

Alice James, Academic Dean of Science

Our Year 11 Chemistry students had a full day excursion to the Victorian Space Science Centre on the 11 and 14 September. 

They participated in an analytical chemistry workshop where each student performed a series of analyses using High Performance Liquid Chromatography, UV Visible Spectroscopy and Atomic Absorption. 

Students performed the analyses with a high degree of accuracy, and significantly improved their understanding of the use of these pieces of advanced analytical equipment.

National Virtual Debating Competition

by Leanne Chua, Year 10

Throughout Terms one to three, several Year 10 students and I participated in a National Virtual Debating Competition.

When first offered this opportunity, we were all absolutely intrigued by the idea of debating against another school in another state via the internet, through a platform similar to Skype.

The very first round was one of the most daunting experiences we had ever encountered! The topic of the debate was only given to us an hour before the debate was to begin. This concept of a secret topic was unfamiliar to us, and we were also not used to preparing a debate in a short amount of time.

We were allowed to use the internet to look for information. As soon as the topic was given to us, we all searched for arguments that supported our side of the case and tried to look for rebuttals as much as we could.

When the debate started, we often encountered many technical difficulties, but we managed to adapt and overcome these setbacks and even made our way into the semi-finals!

Unfortunately, we were not able to make it further then this. However, the overall experience was unbelievably rewarding and enjoyable. Not only did we get the chance to build our public speaking skills, we also enjoyed many laughs and created wonderful memories in the midst of all the frantic googling.

I can speak for everyone when I say that Virtual Debating was extremely fun and I would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of trying Debating. 

Visit to the Government House Victoria 

by Bryce Jurgensen, Year 11

I was recently invited to a morning reception at Government House Victoria for students participating in the National Youth Science Forum, which is held over two weeks in Canberra and Brisbane during January each year. 

The National Youth Science Forum is a not-for-profit organisation that runs a number of residential programs to encourage young people in their passion for science.

The Governor of Victoria, The Hon. Linda Dessau AC, congratulated the group of about 120 Year 11 students from throughout Victoria on their selection to the program, and reflected on the importance of STEM programs such as this to the future success and prosperity of Victoria. After the reception, we explored the various public rooms at Government House.

Overall, my visit to the Government House was a great experience which also helped to broaden my understanding of the STEM field.