Magis report 

We congratulate Thomas Syminton (Year 11), who competed in the State Semi Final of the 2023 Plain English Speaking Awards (PESA) on Saturday. Thomas is one of two College delegates who were selected to take part in the PESA program. Our second delegate, Meg Derbyshire (Year 11) will compete this Saturday at Crawford Hall, and we wish Meg the best of luck at the competition. PESA recognises the key role of the spoken English language as a link among Australians and as a medium for international communication and understanding. Delegates give two speeches – a prepared talk of eight minutes and an impromptu talk of three minutes. Thomas spoke about mental health in sports, whilst Meg will be discussing animation as an art form. The primary aim of the Award is to encourage and maintain the best use of clear and effective English.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the winners of the College Public Speaking Grand Final. The presentations delivered by all grand finalists were exemplary, and the results were incredibly close – with 0.25 points separating some students. For the first time, we have ended in a draw for first place, with our Year 12s delivering a masterclass on public speaking.  Special thanks to Magis alumni Isabelle Pether (Class 2021), and Aden Gleghorn (Class 2019) for adjudicating the Grand Final. Trophies will be awarded at our Magis Awards Breakfast later this year.

Our Year group winners are:

On Wednesday, spectators were enthralled watching our Chess Semi-Finalists battle it out for a place in the Grand Final. We congratulate Christopher Tan (Year 7) and Joshua Standen (Year 8) who played a great game but were unfortunately beaten by senior school students, Massimo Torre (Year 11) and Robert Douglass (Year 12). What an outstanding effort though by Christopher and Joshua! Over sixty students took part in this year’s College Chess Tournament, and now we are down to the final two! Massimo and Robert, two very skilled players, will go head-to-head in the 2023 College Chess Grand Final, to be played next Tuesday 20 June in the Innovative Hub, Ignatian Centre. We welcome students and staff to come and watch, what is sure to be a very impressive game. Who will be crowned this year’s College Grandmaster?

Save the date

Next week our Year 7 and 8 Magis elective students will be displaying their Personal Projects in an exhibition held at the Thomas More Exhibition Centre. This will mark the culmination of many months of hard work and planning, and we very much look forward to sharing with students, staff, and parents in the celebration of our talented students.

MAGIS: OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE!

FameLab Academy

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 Friday 23 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