Friendly fight for the brightest minds

27 Oct 2012

By The Record

Students from Hong Kong were part of the large cohort of participating students at Notre Dame’s Tournament of Minds.

The University of Notre Dame hosted the opening ceremony for the Tournament of Minds, a problem-solving program for teams of both primary and secondary aged school children.

Over 500 students gathered at the Fremantle campus and listened to the opening address given by Professor Celia Hammond, the University’s Vice Chancellor.

“As someone who is passionate about education, about the seeking of wisdom, about the beauty and joy of the mission which all educators share – which is unlocking the potential in every individual with whom they come into contact – it is my absolute pleasure to be able to welcome you all to Notre Dame,”  Professor Hammond said.

It was the first time Notre Dame had held a Tournament of Minds event and the university played host to students from across Australia and international representatives from New Zealand and Hong Kong.

“All of you participating in Tournament of Minds are smart, creative, disciplined and innovative,” Professor Hammond said.

The Tournament of Minds requires students to work in teams of seven to solve challenging and open-ended questions in one of the following subjects – applied technology, language literature, maths engineering and social sciences.

“The tournament offers a unique opportunity to extend the horizons of our gifted and talented students through the stimulating tasks provided in the four subject areas,” Tournament of Minds WA Director Kathy Boyatzis-Pascoe said.

Teams spend three hours in ‘lock-down’ where they work on their challenge. Each team also receives a surprise spontaneous challenge, which can take place any time during the three-hour ‘lock-down’ period.

“Through Tournament of Minds, you have been able to stretch, exercise and develop your unique gifts, talents and abilities, continue to strive to reach your potential and remember that while you are an individual, you are also part of a community and you should always seek to lead good and productive lives,” Professor Hammond said.