FIS students demonstrating excellence at the WSC in Yale

For the first time, some FIS students went to Yale University to take part in the prestigious "Tournament of Champions"

In mid-November, I was part of the FIS delegation of 14 students from both streams (5ème, Y9, Y10, Y11) to compete for the first time at the coveted final round of the World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) . Hosted annually at Yale University and known as the Tournament of Champions (TOC), students from all corners of the world came together for one week to engage in individual and team events.

Although we were already familiar with the WSC, it was our first time competing in the TOC, and the first time traveling to the United States for some of us. We could visit iconic malls and arcades and taste a full array of American specialties. It was a truly unique experience all in all !

We went through the 4 main events of the World Scholar’s Cup, which include :

• the Collaborative Writing - It is an event where students are given a series of prompts, and each person in their 3-person team picks one prompt to write a piece about. The piece can be anything from poetry to a short story to an argumentative essay. An example of a prompt is "Imagine that every 10 years, every world leader is randomly assigned a country to lead. How would the world change?"
• the Team Debate - It is an event where students debate in their teams of 3 against teams from other schools. They are given a debate topic (called a motion) and are then given 15 minutes to prepare their arguments. Each student must speak at least once. An example of a debate motion is Resolved:
   Art that mimics the original is less valuable. 
• the Scholar’s Challenge -  is a multiple choice quiz where students are given 60 minutes to answer 120 questions about the WSC topics. They are allowed to pick more than one answer if they are unsure.
• the Scholar’s Bowl -  is a team event where every single team in each division (juniors have a bowl and seniors have a bowl) comes together to answer multiple choice questions in a kahoot-style quiz. Each team is given a clicker and the questions are displayed on a large screen. Different types of media (memes, videos, pictures, sounds etc.) are given to help with the questions.

FIS saw success at the Tournament of Champions as all of our students returned from Yale with awards, including medals and even trophies

Over the course of the week, we worked both individually and in our teams of three to produce pieces of writing, engage in fruitful debate, and compete for the highest score in multiple-choice style quizzes (both independently and in teams). In addition to the academic events, our students watched and participated in the Scholar’s Talent show, and ended the trip by socialising with other students from other schools and countries at the Scholar’s Ball.

FIS saw success at the Tournament of Champions as all of our students returned from Yale with awards, including medals and even trophies. To name a few:

At the junior scholar's challenge, individual subjects:

• Arthur Ching - literature (silver medal), social studies (silver medal), art (gold medal)
• Valerie De Chabannes La Palice - art (silver medal), history (gold medal), literature (gold medal), special area (gold medal)
• Ipshita Somani - special area (silver medal), art (gold medal), social studies (gold medal), history (gold medal), literature (gold medal), science (gold medal). She also performed at The Scholars' Show !

At scholar's challenge, individual subjects:

• Jacqueline Li - art (silver medal)
• Aashi Mohapatra - history (silver medal), art (silver medal), special area (gold medal)
• Kristen Thorne - special area (silver medal), literature (silver medal), history (gold medal), science (gold medal)

We've had some impressive individual overall ranking

There were about 2000 participants overall for both divisions

• 50th - Allexia Chan (Junior asimov award)
• 27th - Ipshita Somani (Junior champion top scholars)
• 24th - Denize Lo (Junior asimov award)
• 21st - Kristen Thorne (barely-Senior top scholars)
• 19th - Jacqueline Li (Senior Writing Champions)
• 17th - Ipshita Somani (Junior individual overall Scholar's challenge)
• 5th - Jacqueline Li (Senior Debate Champions / Barely-senior top scholars)
• 4th - Ipshita Somani (Junior east asia top scholars)

As well as the noteworthy overall ranking of some of the teams

There were around 665 teams overall

• Jacqueline Li, Kristen Thorne, Aashi Mohapatra (Team 644)
  • 36th - Senior overall team placement
  • 22nd - Senior team debate
  • 7th - senior top east asia teams

• Gabrielle Li, Rocky Chu (Team 645)
  • 53rd - Senior Team Bowl

It's a challenging endeavor, however the trip was definitely worth it.

I thought I did well for the debate and the writing but I felt that my writing was a little bit rushed and I felt that I could have studied more for the Scholar's challenge. I am part of the FIS debate team, so the skills I learnt from that ECA definitely helped me.

It was definitely challenging to catch up with missed coursework as I had many assessments when I returned, however the trip was definitely worth it. Friendships were definitely deepened during the trip.

I think it is safe to say on behalf of all the participating students that the trip was not only eye-opening, but rewarding as well.

I would like to say that it was wonderful to see the students forming bonds and engaging meaningfully outside the classroom during the trip. Their teamwork and enthusiasm were truly commendable, and it was a great opportunity for them to grow both academically and socially.

Mr Peter LIVESEY - History/TOK Secondary Teacher

A special thanks goes to Mr Livesey and Ms Moran for helping organise the trip and accompanying our students all the way across the world to Connecticut in the USA, as well as Mr Jason Chan for helping organise and lead the Debate ECA. Without them, the trip would not have been a reality.