The Thistle - An E-Newsletter of Scotch College, Perth, Western Australia

World Scholar's Cup Perth Round 2017

What sound does an alpaca make? You don't know? Neither did 400 students until Friday 2 June.

On 2 and 3 June, Scotch College hosted the Perth Round of the World Scholar's Cup, a two-day global academic enrichment competition that 'aims to attract a global community of future scholars and leaders and allows participants to discover their strengths and skills whilst being invigorated by the fun of learning.'

Watching the welcoming ceremony of the World Scholar's Cup is akin to going to a concert. Picture 400 screaming teenagers from schools across the state been whipped into a frenzy about learning. The behemoth that is the World Scholar's Cup is an international phenomenon that sees students compete in teams of three across four academic events; Team Debate, Scholar's Bowl, Collaborative Writing and the Scholar's Challenge. The subject matter provided by the World Scholar's Cup organisation is rich, varied, highly relevant and engaging. Students explore everything from the history of conspiracies to the development of technological 'moonshots'.

The brilliance of this event is the way in which it destroys stereotypes such as those suggesting that pushing yourself intellectually is boring. The students (or scholars) were engaged, singing, dancing and laughing all in the name of academically extending themselves.

This year Scotch College fielded its biggest ever student delegation of 50 boys ranging from Years 7 to 11. Every Friday afternoon for several months, these boys engaged in training sessions for the event. Sessions included guest lectures provided by our Scholar In Residence, Akram Azimi and, on occasion, we were fortunate enough to have PLC's 35 student strong delegation travel to Scotch for a series of team debates against our boys.

Year 11 students Rafe Harrison-Murray (Stuart), Prentice Shepherd (Ross) and Darcy Frazer (Ferguson), now seasoned veterans of the competition, must receive special commendation for their efforts. They coordinated many of the training sessions and provided ongoing support and guidance to the entire team.

Scotch College once again performed exceptionally well across all aspects of the competition. While there were numerous individual and team achievements, the following most notable achievements must be acknowledged:

Senior Division

1st place Champion Team: Rafe Harrison-Murray (Year 11, Stuart), Prentice Shepherd (Year 11, Ross), Lewis Orr (Year 10, Ferguson)

1st place Champion Scholar: Lewis Orr

2nd place Champion Scholar: Rafe Harrison-Murray

3rd place Champion Scholar: Prentice Shepherd

Junior Division

1st place Champion Team: Sam Wake (Year 9, Brisbane), William Steinberg (Year 9, Brisbane), Daniel Wiese (Year 9, Keys)

2nd place Champion Scholar: Sam Wake

3rd place Champion Scholar: William Steinberg

Further details regarding individual and team results can be found here:

WSC Scotch Junior Results 2017

WSC Scotch Senior Results 2017

world scholars cup

In addition to the academic events, a number of Scotch College students participated in the Talent Show on Day 2 at Curtin University. Hugo Fellow-Smith's (Year 7, Gordon) rendition of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelulah' captivated the audience and received a rapturous applause. Ronald Fellow-Smith's (Year 9, St Andrews) cover version of the 'Kahoot' loading screen soundtrack was an absolute crowd favourite. Our boys once again represented the College with pride and humility and contributed to what was an overwhelmingly celebratory atmosphere throughout the competition.

A special thank you must go to all of the parents and staff who dedicated so much time and energy to this event. Most notably, Deborah Mullin, Karen Woods and Heidi Locke, who worked tirelessly for many months overseeing the entire operation. These staff make our College such a wonderful place to be educated.

Mr Sam Sterrett
Enrichment Co-ordinator