Academic Excellence

Australian Brain Bee State Finals

Congratulations to Year 10 students: Olivia Alderton, Shania Cura, Elsa Tan and Jackson White on reaching the Australian Brain Bee State Finals, and for their excellent participation and knowledge in the very challenging finals quizzes. Many of the questions asked were of a second-year university level. They should hold their heads high for their fantastic achievement.

Student Comments:

On Friday 8 June, we got the opportunity to go to the Brain Bee State Finals. We participated in several activities, such as quizzes, and went on an Anatomy Tour, where we got to see donated body parts and how they use them for research. At the end of the day, we watched the top contestants battle for a place in the National Finals. It was an interesting day and students who are interested in biology or neuroscience should participate in it next year to immerse themselves in the experience.

Elsa Tan - T6

The Brain Bee Finals were really fun, it was great mixing with other schools, touring the labs and competing in many challenges with fellow students. I learnt a lot about neuroscience and how increased studies and research can really benefit people in the future. I would definitely encourage students to compete in the Brain Bee Competition next year as it was such a great experience and I'm glad I signed up.

Olivia Alderton - M1

The Australian Brain Bee Challenge Finals was an enjoyable and eye-opening experience that provided an insight not only on how the brain works but also the many ways which it is researched and how it affects everyday life. Throughout the day, we were able to see medical and research samples of brain matter and the cerebral system, interact and partake in experiments, as well as have the privilege of listening to numerous lectures, from postgrad students and neuroscientists. We competed with the top scoring schools in the State, and during the finals quizzes, teamed up with others as well. To students who have a genuine interest in the medical and psychological fields of study, I recommend partaking in the challenge, as the winner is awarded opportunities to research the cerebral and neuroscience fields with leading scientists in not only Australia but the world.

Shania Cura  - T6

Computational and Algorithm Thinking (CAT)

CAT is a one-hour online problem-solving competition that identifies computer programming potential. It encourages students to develop informal algorithms and apply them to the given data. Earlier this year a group of senior students participated in this challenge. Congratulations to Michael Hegney and Samuel Rowlands who received a credit in the competition, and to Aldric Ratnasekera who received a distinction. Well done on a fine achievement.

Mrs L Cardenia (Academic Excellence Coordinator)