da Vinci Decathlon – Junior School
Two teams, from Years 5 and 6, recently competed in the annual da Vinci decathlon at Knox Grammar School. Inspired by the talents and accomplishments of Leonardo da Vinci, the da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition in which student’s complete tasks across ten disciplines: Art and Poetry, Cartography, Code Breaking, Creative Producers, English, Engineering, Ideation, Legacy, Mathematics and Science. Over 1000 Stage 3 students competed in the competition, from over 100 schools across New South Wales. This year’s tasks were designed around the theme of Utopia.
The challenges require higher order thinking skills, problem solving and creativity. Cooperation and teamwork are crucial, as challenges are completed in teams, within tight timeframes.
Our Year 5 and Year 6 students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and achieved impressive results, with Year 5 scoring 15th place in NSW for Art and Poetry, and 12th place for Legacy.
Year 6 was awarded 1st prize for Art and Poetry, 8th for Creative Producers and 13th for Mathematics. Overall, the Year 6 team was ranked 15th in the state.
Participating in the da Vinci Decathlon Competition was an exhilarating and deeply enriching experience, filled with moments of intense challenge, spirited collaboration, and invaluable teamwork. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as we immersed ourselves in diverse tasks, from complex Maths problems to creative writing in English, all of which tested our skills and ingenuity. The thrill of working together, brainstorming solutions, and pushing our limits, brought immense satisfaction. This fantastic opportunity offered every one of us an amazing chance to grow, learn, communicate, work together, and celebrate each other’s strengths, leaving a positive and lasting impact that everyone involved will remember forever.
Karina Wu, Year 5
