Secondary Maths Competition, 2016
On February 25thto 28th2016,elcInternational School was given the opportunity to host the FOBISIA Secondary Mathematics Competition and welcomed 200 students from 24 international schools spread across 8 countries.
The first evening was spent getting to know each other a little better during a Welcome Dinner. This was followed by some Ice Breaker Activities to help the children relax, get to know one another better and have some fun before the start of the competition. The ice-breaker activities were a great success with all the schools participating enthusiastically and lots of laughter.
Day 1 was scheduled to have 4 competitive rounds and 1 fun round, all of which took place within the grounds of the hotel. The most anticipated round for the day was the Maths Trail. There was not a single corner spared within the grounds of the hotel as students searched for their clues and the hotel grounds were awash with the different colours of all the schools. The FOBISIA schools certainly added a little zing to the hotel life, but all the students did their schools and teachers proud by being appropriate in their behaviour at all times.
Day 1 was not over just yet, because once the competitive rounds were done, it was time to get ready for dinner and then board the buses for a trip to Kuala Lumpur to see a little of the nightlife.
The highlight of the trip was the KL Tower which stands at 421 metres tall. On average its takes 54 seconds to make the 276 metre journey up to the Observation Platform and from there the FOBISIA schools got a 360° view of Kuala Lumpur at night. The teams also got the chance to see the KLCC Towers as well as have their pictures taken at Independence Square.
Day 2 started with some very tired students, but it was not long before their competitive edge kicked in and the tiredness disappeared. It was hard to decide, based on the verbal feedback from the students, which of the 4 rounds from Day 2 were most popular. All the students talked about the fun they were having and the challenges they were enjoying in the different rounds. The final round, Construction, saw the FOBISIA teams building bridges out of plastic straws…which really brought their engineering skills to the fore.
Finally, on the evening of the second day, we ended the event with a Closing Ceremony Dinner. This involved the awards, a show by the illusionist Vincent and some dancing. The evening was a great success bringing the whole competition to a happy end. Many new friendships were formed, with many schools hoping to meet again at the next FOBISIA Secondary Mathematics Competition.
Thank you to all the schools for their excellent participation and of course, congratulations to all the winners. A special well-done to the top three schools – Dulwich College Seoul, The Alice Smith School Malaysia and Dulwich College Beijing. Until the next challenge….take care and keep practicing those mathematical skills!
By:Ms. Asha Kaloo,Director of Operations at elc