Da Vinci Decathlon
On 29 May, the Da Vinci Decathlon team travelled to Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School. PEGS were wonderful hosts of both staff and students. Our team represented Oxley with great distinction, competing against some of Melbourne’s elite schools, achieving the following:
Year 8
Art and Poetry – 2nd Place
Creative Producers – 3rd Place
Year 9
Ideation – 1st Place
English – 3rd Place
After many weeks and lunchtimes of preparation, our Da Vinci Decathlon team of 24 students from Years 7-9 met at Oxley Stadium at 6am on Thursday 29 May to make the long journey to Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School on the other side of the city. Our team members acquitted themselves extremely well in competition with many other Melbourne schools, working together to complete a range of challenging tasks. Subject areas included Mathematics, Cartography, Code Breaking, Art, Engineering, and more. Highlights of the day included a victory for the Year 9 team in the Ideation category. When reflecting on the day, our GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) Captains had this to say:
In preparation for the Da Vinci Decathlon, the teams met regularly during lunchtimes to work through past papers and sharpen our skills. Guided by Mrs Sandison, we explored a range of challenging and unconventional subjects like engineering, code-breaking, and ideation, which are not usually taught in school. This made the experience more engaging and broadened our skills beyond the classroom. After the team was selected based on individual strengths, we each focused on our top two subjects, working closely with a partner in those areas. This not only helped us improve our knowledge but also strengthened our teamwork and communication. Overall, the preparation process had already taught us the value of teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving, even before the competition began.
On the day of Da Vinci Decathlon, we arrived at school at 6am before boarding the bus to Penleigh and Essendon Grammar, where the event was taking place. We unpacked our bags upon arrival before our teams split up, moving onto the tables where the challenge was to be completed. English, Science, Ideation, and Codebreaking were the activities for the first session. Although the subjects were difficult, we worked well as a team, dividing into pairs to complete each discipline. Following a short recess where all the Year 7, 8, and 9 groups came together, we began session two, which included Maths, Cartography, Art & Poetry, Engineering, and Creative Producers.
This was the most difficult session—especially the Maths—but we did our best. In the afternoon, after lunch, we spoke to the other teams and took a few pictures, before the final session – Legacy. We completed the questions together as a team and did our best. It was a great experience overall and great fun. Our Year 8 group came 2nd in Art & Poetry and 3rd in Creative Producers, while our Year 9 group came 3rd in English and 1st in Ideation. Thank you to Mrs Sandison and Mr White for the work they put into making this possible.
Nicole M (9.9)
The College thanks all the students who participated on the day, those who contributed to the training sessions, and the parents who supported the program throughout. Special thanks goes out to Mrs Sharon Sandison, who gave up many lunchtimes to run all the training sessions.
The Da Vinci Decathlon is just one of many ways that our SPARK program enriches the learning of our high-ability students. Debating Club, the National History Challenge, STEM activities, in-class extension and much more are all happening at Oxley. If you would like to know more about SPARK or ASPIRE, our programs for gifted and talented and high-ability students, please contact Mr Stephen White.
Jonathan H (9.10)
Stephen White
Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator