MIAMI’S WAY WITH WORDS
My word, Miami State High has done well in a prestigious problem-solving competition, making it through to the international final
MIAMI State High School’s English literature team has proven it has a way with words, topping the class in the state finals of the Tournament of Minds at Griffith University.
The team defeated six others to represent Queensland in the international final, to be held this month at Flinders University in Adelaide.
As the only Gold Coast school to be a winner in one of the four divisions of the problem-solving competition for teams from both primary and secondary years, the Miami students will now compete against teams from throughout Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong and Uganda at the international event.
The Tournament of Minds is celebrating 30 years in Australia this year.
Miami High principal Susan Dalton said the achievement was a testament to the teaching staff and young students.
Tournament of Minds was one of the fastest-growing international school programs, with the involvement of thousands of participants.
It was aimed at enhancing the potential of youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a competitive environment.
In the English literature division, the team was given four stimuli – two photos and two quotes – and had to write a narrative based on those, perform a play that was creative and cohesive to the narrative, and one of the quotes had to be the last line spoken in the play.
All Tournament of Minds challenges were also written with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in mind.
Miami had fielded teams in each of the regional final divisions, including STEM and social science.
In 2016 the Miami engineering mathematics team was Queensland champion and placed second in the Tournament of Minds international final.
Miami TOM co-ordinator Michelle Flynn said she attributed the success to the “inquisitive and creative students who are nurtured by a dedicated teaching team”.
“In the three years that Miami has participated in the event, they have gone from strength to strength,” she said.
IN THE THREE YEARS THAT MIAMI HAS PARTICIPATED ... THEY HAVE GONE FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH