MORE than 300 of the top young minds from across the Central West have met in Bathurst for a battle of brains, not brawn.
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Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a problem-solving program for teams of students from primary and secondary years.
It attracted 44 teams of seven to Bathurst’s Charles Sturt University campus on Sunday to present a prepared response to a challenge and a second impromptu response.
TOM teams can specialise in one of four disciplines – science technology, engineering mathematics, social sciences and language literature – and they present to a panel of 10 judges.
NSW West director Annette Welch said every region in NSW hosted a tournament over the weekend to encourage teamwork and creative thinking.
“All the teams have had six weeks to prepare their 10-minute presentation and then they are given just four minutes to discuss their response to an unseen challenge which is a one-minute presentation,” Ms Welch said.
“It requires a lot of teamwork and thinking outside the square.”
MacKillop College student Aimee Walsh was back for her third Tournament of Minds and said it was an opportunity to make new friends in an enjoyable, challenging setting.
Aimee and her language literature team-mates Elizabeth Noonan, Lily Collins, Isabella Mooney, Hayley Keith, Ella McPhillamy and Mondira Paul prepared Guest Who, a meeting of “four different characters from four different genres”.
“We decided on Flash Gordon, Harry Potter, Ronald McDonald and Pikachu and it was about presenting their positive and negative traits,” Aimee said.
“Taking part in TOM also helps you out a lot with your school work as you develop a lot of new ideas and new ways of thinking. It’s a really fun thing to do.”
Max Ringbauer from Orange’s James Sheahan High said he was excited to be part of TOM.
Max’s social sciences team studied the ancient city of Pompeii and items that may have been discovered in the ruins of the city.
“I enjoyed being able to come here to perform something with a group,” he said.
Schools at Sunday’s tournament came from Bathurst, Orange, Blayney, Forbes, Gilgandra, Mudgee, Canowindra, Wallerawang and Nyngan.