Gateway 8 is a one-day academic competition providing our gifted students with the opportunity to solve complex problems. For Science, they had to provide information regarding diagnosis, treatment and prognosis for a genetic disease, however, this had to be packaged for a particular audience, which involved them drawing on their literacy skills, logical reasoning, research ability, general knowledge of genetics and knowledge of how to manipulate presentation software. Every challenge was multifaceted and typically only had four students working on it for one hour, so students needed to be flexible regarding their 'preferences' and the demands of each challenge.
The competitors come from as far away as Dee Why, Rouse Hill and the Southern Highlands - some that competed against us today were Ravenswood, The Illawara Grammar School, Wenona, St Andrews Cathedral School, Penrith Anglican, Danebank, William Clarke, William Carey and several others.
It was a brilliant week to watch students from Years 7-10 work enthusiastically and tirelessly to present a solution to a problem where there were multiple options, which meant the students had to work effectively as a team, listening with humility and enacting each other's ideas with graciousness.
On Friday, our Year 8 students were announced the winners of the day and they were in shock as they walked towards the front of the room. The entire room noticed their humility, with even the announcer noting their surprise and humility.
This week was an opportunity for our gifted students to be with like-minded peers, people who are confident in their decisions regarding their knowledge and understanding of content and tasks. Our students demonstrated such humility in their interactions with each other, other schools and wider staff in a highly pleasing manner.