ESHS ToM team members Layla Bowkett, Charlie Wooldridge, Skye Waters, Isabella Scott, Libby Gurney, Taylor Gray and Ashley Gallop. Photos: ESHS
Esperance Senior High School won the regional round of Tournament of Minds (ToM) and competed in the WA State final last Saturday in the Perth suburb of Joondalup.
According to their website, the Tournament of Minds is “a problem-solving program” that aims to enhance the potential of students as they solve problems in teams.
The ESHS ToM team was made up of seven students from years 7-10 and competed in the Social Sciences division of the competition.
On the day, the team was required to spend three hours in a lockout while they attempted to develop a solution to a problem in the form of a performance.
According to the team facilitator, Cara Gurney, the problem was described as “involving a lost Australian city, and the discovery of a mural of a mythical creature which should earn its own exhibition in the national museum”.
“Our team put together an amazing performance,” Ms Gurney said.
“The performance included a captivating retelling of their own myth of the ‘Mantramoo’ (a hybrid between a manta ray and emu) and how the Milky way came to be.”
ESHS received positive feedback from the audience and judges but ended up marginally missing out on the top spot.
Cara Gurney said that though they didn’t win, the trip was a big success because of the important skills students will take away from the experience.
“Many parents and students commented what an amazing experience it is for our students to be involved in,” she said.
“The journey has enabled the students to learn more about their own strengths and how when utilised effectively in collaboration with others they can lead to improved outcomes for the team.”
The team of students shared Ms Gurneys enthusiasm for their ToM experience, saying the best part was being able to work together with like-minded students.
“I am most proud of how we worked together as a team to effectively present our solution and that we got through to the State final,”one student said.
When asked if they would compete in the tournament again the answer from the team was a unanimous “Yes!”.
Ms Gurney said that ToM not only helped students to develop thinking skills, but it also created life-long friendships between students.
