Students at New Lambton South Public School are still on a high after an outstanding performance at the recent da Vinci Decathlon.
Locking horns against 150 educational institutions throughout NSW, the local pupils secured second to the prestigious Knox Grammar.
The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of pupils.
Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy.
New Lambton South principal Andrew Pryce admitted it was an incredible result.
“The da Vinci Decathlon features 1,100 children, most of them representing independent schools in Sydney,” he said.
“In fact, we were one of the only public schools who qualified for the competition.
“But, the kids gave it everything they had, tackling set tasks.
“They had to plan who would take on specific subjects prior to them participating in the challenges.
“And, there were quite a few topics the children were not prepared for, so they had to improvise.
“They worked together, respecting each other’s ideas and focussing on teamwork and getting along.
“So, they strengthened their friendships throughout the day.
“All of them explained it was a great experience for connection.
“The students’ teacher Vicki Tweeddale believes in establishing a learning environment, which nurtures each child’s talents with a focus on building persistence for when things get hard.
“So, to finish second in the state – and being the highest-performing public school in NSW – is terrific.”
A couple of New Lambton South’s team members agreed.
“I enjoyed the whole day of the da Vinci Decathlon,” Xinyang Sun (5/6T) said.
“It required great amounts of teamwork and great effort from everyone.
“I loved the way it was set up and how challenging it was.
“Everyone enjoyed it.
“I hope we can participate in another of these competitions in the future.”
Lucas Nestorosvski said the da Vinci Decathlon was a “fun experience”.
“The main things that challenged me were code-breaking and legacy,” he explained.
“The things that made it fun were the breaks, the numerous fun mini challenges and engineering.
“Overall, it’s a really fun challenge that all should experience.”
For more community stories:
- Newcastle uni staff vote in favour of new EA
- Voice campaigner Pat Farmer eyes off Wallsend stopover
- Hillcrest Tennis Club still acing it after 85 years
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
