Issue 20 - Australian International School Malaysia

Main Senior Middle Junior Performing Arts Sports Others Parent Assoc.
AISM Scholaroos Compete at Yale
University
On the 26th November the AISM Scholaroos embarked
on an epic trip to compete at the World Scholar’s Cup
(WSC) Tournament of Champions hosted by Yale
University.
This trip provided an excellent
educational opportunity for our
students. The Tournament of
Champions brought together
the champion competitors from
the WSC World Finals and a
number of the best teams from
the US Academic Decathlon, for
a ‘Super Bowl’ style event. The
competition therefore provided
opportunities for 19 select Scholaroos to foster their
debating, multiple-choice and essay writing skills in a
‘best-of-the-best’ environment.
The trip was about more than
the competition, however. As a
coach, my proudest moments
were when members of the
public went out of their way to
compliment me on the team’s
behaviour and by the end of
the trip, the group became
self sufficient and the student
leaders emerged. The trip was also about the journey:
We visited the Islamic Art Museum and Souk Waqif
in Doha, the Empire State Building, United Nations,
Broadway, Time Square, Rockefeller Centre, WTC
Memorial, Wall St and Statue of Liberty in New York,
as well as the White House, WWII Memorial, Reflecting
Pool, Lincoln Memorial, Obelisk and Smithsonian in
Washington DC. We ate
wonderful food together,
took in some beautiful
architecture and travelled
on trains, planes, buses and
subways, as well as doing a
lot of walking!
All of that being said, the team did achieve some
spectacular results in the competition. All of the 19
Scholaroos involved fully applied themselves and did
us proud with their efforts. Two of our teams (J1 & S1)
finished in the Top 10 Overall and one of our students
(Emma McLaughlin) finished in the top 10 individuals
overall.
One of our debate teams (J1)
made it through the competition
undefeated and two of our members
were selected to feature in the
Debate Showcase. In total, the team
won a staggering 30 honours against
the best of the best from around the
globe.
The biggest highlight of the
competition was the Gold Medal won
by Tzeyi Koay in the Senior Division
Debate Competition.
Debating proved to be a
really strong point for the
Scholaroos in this event,
as top eleven individual
places were also won by
Ashwen Parthiban, Emma
McLaughlin, Cassandra
Tan, Joshua Edmondston, Brendina Maku and Jit Haw
Lim, in their respective divisions. The team of Ashwen
Parthiban, Joshua Edmondston and Tzeyi Koay won the
Silver Medal in the Senior Division. Further, the team
of Emma McLaughlin, Brendina Maku and Eleanor
Cooper were judged as the 6th best team in the Junior
Division.
Another strength for the AISM Scholaroos was to be
found in the Essay Writing Competition. The highlight
of this competition was the Bronze Medal awarded
to Daweena Motwany. Top 6 finishes in this event
were also had by Emma McLaughlin, Tzeyi Koay,
Dayna Pereira and Cassandra Tan, in their respective
divisions. In addition, the team of Daweena Motwany,
Thung Xuan Lim and Jaan Joseph were adjudged to be
the 6th best essay writing team in the Junior Division.
Lastly, in the Multiple Choice Competition, many great
achievements were also recorded. The highlights were
Silver Medals by Eleanor
Cooper in History and Emma
McLaughlin in Science.
Bronze Medals were won
by Emma McLaughlin in
Literature and Ashwen
Parthiban in Science. AISM
students finished in the
top 4 in 5 out of the 6 subjects tested. In addition to
the Silver and Bronze awards listed above, 4th place
(or Honourable Mentions) were received by Eleanor
Cooper (x2), Dayna Pereira, Tzeyi Koay and Joshua
Edmondston. In addition, Eleanor Cooper was ranked
as the 6th best individual overall in the multiple-choice
test and together with her team (Emma McLaughlin
and Brendina Maku) was ranked 6th best team in the
multiple-choice test.
Overall, this represents a fabulous set of results! This
trip was a huge undertaking by all involved and the
process of working towards the trip and then the
journey itself were the real areas of reward expected
and achieved. These more tangible awards are just the
‘cherry on the top’. It is important to recognise these
awards, however, as they represent the largest haul
thus far by the Scholaroos in an international event.
Well done to all involved – students, parents, teachers
and administrators. A special mention to Emma
McLaughlin for being an amazing Captain, to Mrs
Wendy Gardiner for being an excellent chaperone on
the trip and to Ms Mimie Yong for making all of the
logistical arrangements for the trip.
James Unsworth,
World Scholar’s Cup Coach
Page 8 14th December 2012