Four pupils, Astrid Kühn, Riley Pam-Grant, Jordyn Walker and Julia Barry were the first students ever to represent a South African school in the WSC. Their journey started in Johannesburg earlier in the year when they qualified for the global rounds held in Kuala Lumpur and Ireland.
Their performance at the global rounds allowed them to then qualify for the final Tournament of Champions, where they joined nearly 700 pupils from more than 20 countries.The World Scholars Cup requires pupils to compete in the areas of persuasive writing, team debate, individual challenge, team quiz, knowledge of the given theme which, this year, was titled The World Unbound, with a special area of heroes and superheroes.
Over the course of the competition, the Sacred Heart pupils won individual gold medals in all three categories. In Kuala Lumpur, the team was placed in the top five in Africa and, in Ireland, in the top 10, with Kühn and Barry coming in first and second respectively in the writing categories, and Riley coming second in the best individual speaker category. The team came first in the debates held in Ireland and 20th in the finals at Yale against stiff competition from the Chinese and Singaporean teams.
Apart from the competition, the Sacred Heart pupils were privileged to meet and interact with pupils from all around the world and were part of the unique experience that is the World Scholars Cup.
All four pupils expressed how refreshing it was to interact with different cultures and to experience a world that is different to theirs.
Details: www.scholarscup.com; 011 487 9008.
