Tournament of Minds

Four BMGS teams recently competed at the Regional Tournament of Minds, showcasing their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. On the day, teams had to present a 10-minute dramatic solution to a Long-Term Challenge that they had been working on for six weeks. They also contested a Spontaneous Challenge in which they had just 5 minutes to generate creative responses.

From the Senior School, Team Aurora (A.K.A Team Jerry) competed in the Language Literature Discipline and produced an emotive and meaningful reimagining of Shaun Tan's book Cicada. The team produced a dramatic and insightful performance that examined the experiences of those that are seen as 'other'. The students created costumes, effectively interwove rhyme, and used character perspectives to enhance their performance. This team worked collaboratively and creatively and were ideal representatives for the school. Well done, Abby-Rose, Bronte, Emerson, Grace, Lorence, Jasmine and Mikhaela!

The Senior School Astra team competed in the Social Sciences Discipline and developed an engaging news conference to showcase their designs for two new recreation centres in the Blue Mountains. They produced maps, models, stakeholder surveys and even creatively used a 'Karen' within their presentation to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of their proposals. This team won a Spirit of TOM award as a recognition of their resilience when faced with a technology failure. Team Astra was also awarded Tournament Honours for their excellent performance in both the Long Term and Spontaneous Challenge. Well done, Elisabeth, Elsie, Hamilton, Leroy, Manuel, Nicole and William!

From the Junior School, our Language Literature Team was also required to dramatise one of Shaun Tan’s books, enhancing the audience’s understanding of a social issue. They elected to interpret The Lost Thing in terms of neurodivergence and the sense of harmony and community that can be achieved when differences are accepted and valued. They worked hard to present a compelling piece, incorporating rhyme, song and effective sets, props and costumes. The judges were very receptive to their performance, and they received excellent feedback. Congratulations, Clare, Dane, Ella, Margot, Mariella, Poppy and Sy!

Our Arts Team was required to prepare the Opening Ceremony for a proposed United Nations Convention for Global Unity, incorporating a performance art piece and a visual art collage promoting peace. The team demonstrated outstanding skill in devising and performing a multicultural dance and creating a papier-mache globe supported by an ‘olive tree’, and tying the elements of their performance together seamlessly. Persistent practice led to a very polished and heartfelt performance which clearly impressed the judges. At the Awards Ceremony, our Arts Team was announced the winner of their discipline and will compete at the State Final this weekend! They will have just three hours to develop a solution to a brand-new Challenge and have been tackling practice 3-hr Challenges to finesse their timing and application. Congratulations, Adelaide, Alexander, Christian, Elise, Emily, Hugo and Xavier, and best of luck this weekend!

We are immensely proud of the commitment, collaborative thinking and ingenuity demonstrated by our teams in the pursuit of excellence. They devoted a lot of time to creating and refining their presentations and developed valuable skills during this intense process. We thank our teams for their efforts and congratulate them for all that they accomplished in limited time.

We also thank Abbey Crompton and Finn Snedden for representing our school as volunteer judges. Both Abbey and Finn have been involved in TOM throughout their time at BMGS, and both exemplify the spirit of TOM. At the Awards Ceremony, they were singled out for special recognition for their incredible flexibility and service during the day and we were proud of their significant contribution.

Elissa Drew, Danielle Pearson & Catharine Tierney

Tournament of Minds