Five of six Aquinas College teams that participated in the recent World Scholar's Cup (WSC) London Global Round have qualified to compete at the Tournament of Champions scheduled for Yale University in Connecticut in November. This, as a number of Bahamians returned home with medals as students from St. John's College, Hill Crest (primary school) and Lyford Cay. Aquinas had the most teams and won the most medals.

Aquinas Aces students received some of the top awards, with some scholars having earned as many as 10 gold medals.

Tenth-grade teammates Dellon Evans, Logan Fernander and Lumar Saunders earned the second-place trophy in the senior team debate competition.

Evans also earned the second-place trophy in the individual senior debate competition.

Jerlea Adderley and her two teammates from the Dwight School in New York earned the ninth-place trophy in the Jr. Debate Team Competition.

Over 1,000 scholars from 39 countries competed in the London Global Round.

Lester Arnette, who will enter 12th grade at Aquinas College at the beginning of the academic year, and who will serve as deputy head boy, described the WSC experience as "enlightening".

"Preparing for the World Scholars Cup requires an unconventional approach as the topics covered are unconventional themselves," said Lester. "Rather than the normal reading and memorizations, we, the scholars, had to take the time to dissect the many topics slowly and think about them in ways which we normally would not. An answer would never just be given to us or easily accessible. We had to discuss it with our teams and come to our own conclusions. Many notes were taken, and group study sessions were held. There was a heavy focus on debating. Overall, the preparation experience for WSC is an enjoyable one, which is new and refreshing."

Lester found the cultural fair the most memorable of his experiences.

"Seeing all the diverse cultures interact in a safe and fun environment was simply mesmerizing. It is not every day I'd be able to find myself conversing and dancing with both someone from Asia and Kenya. Trading trinkets and learning more about our far-away neighbors is an experience I would rather not forget," he said.

Dellon Evans, who will enter the 11th grade at Aquinas College in the fall, described the experience as "transcending".

"Preparation for WSC was extensive. With over 100 different topics and subtopics out of the scope of a normal school curriculum, it took intense studying and determination. The curriculum was broken up into three sections, and notes were taken accordingly. The major difference between studying for school and studying for WSC would be having to create your own notes and narratives and ensuring no stone was left unturned as that could be the deciding factor between victory and defeat."

His most memorable moment took place during the closing ceremony.

"I was awarded second place in individual debates. Although second place may seem insignificant to some, coming second out of 500 is a major achievement," said Dellon.

For Jerlea, the experience was "unforgettable".

"I prepared for the competition with the help of former scholars [and now graduated] T'ron and D'ron Strapp. Their past experience helped me create strategies for organizing and simplifying notes and information. Studying for WSC was much different because the curriculum was vast and covered multiple topics which I had never seen before. Therefore, it required a lot of research to be able to make connections."

For Jerlea, the most memorable moment was seeing her name flash across the screen multiple times for top awards in her division, especially as she was the youngest scholar from her school as well as the only person who was reassigned to a team where she didn't know anyone.

"Initially, I was a bit nervous, however, the experience with my newfound friends was absolutely amazing," said Jerlea.

Shona Knowles, Aquinas College principal, said student participation at World Scholar's Cup was important to expose the students to global academics.

"It is important for scholars to realize that education goes beyond the four walls of the classroom and for them to see the practical side of education when they meet people from all around the world," said Knowles.

"This helps to open their minds; it helps to bring about a very positive mindset. It helps to increase drive and intrinsic

motivation. With this experience, we find that our students become more confident, they are able to articulate in a more effective manner and the whole experience teaches them that there is a whole world out there beyond The Bahamas where we live."

Knowles said it is her wish that every student at Aquinas College could be exposed to the program.

"The students who traveled to London were able to meet and compete with students from 39 countries around the world to learn about their culture, their traditions, and to debate, impromptu, against them. It was just an awesome experience. And the 19 [Aquinas College] students that traveled to London will never be the same again. They are so excited."

"We had six teams that participated and five teams that qualified for the Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Yale University in Connecticut in November and they are all ready to go. As a matter of fact, all the parents are also onboard and that, too, tells us that parents are becoming more involved in their children's education because of this awesome experience," she said.

"The World Scholar's Cup program has its own curriculum, a curriculum that is far more in depth than the curriculum studied in our schools. Our students take it upon themselves to study the curriculum based on the specific theme that is set. But they love the program because when it comes to the competition itself, the manner in which the organizers present the information is in such a critical thinking manner that it actually makes learning fun and they all look forward to the TOC and the next Global Round."

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