Year 7:<\/strong> 15th for ideation, 10th for code breaking<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year 8: 1st for code breaking,<\/strong> 11th for mathematics, 15th for engineering, 16th for creative producers<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year 10:<\/strong> 3rd for creative producers,<\/strong> 10th for english, 9th for legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What was the most enjoyable part of the day?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The most enjoyable part of the day for all of us was probably when they were announcing the winners for each section. When we heard that our team had won Codebreaking, all of us instantly exploded into screams of joy and excitement. We were elated to hear that our efforts had been recognised. Every paper, every struggle, every stressful minute of the competition had been worth it and that was a memory each of us won\u2019t forget. After congratulating each other and especially the members of our team who were working on the Codebreaking paper, we left Knox happy and cheerful. It was a rewarding and wonderful experience and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of the 2026 Da Vinci Decathlon.<\/em> What was the most challenging part of the day?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The most challenging part of the day was the nerves building up in anticipation of a hard paper ahead of us. A couple members of our team hadn\u2019t participated in the Decathlon before, adding to the pressure we felt to perform well. Another challenge was working under a finite amount of time, as we were only given an hour to complete four papers simultaneously. However, we ended up exceeding our expectations and placing for subjects we thought we hadn\u2019t done so well in. It made the stress and hard work during the training sessions and before the event quite worthwhile. <\/em> How did your team work together?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our team worked together by communicating, encouraging each other and dividing the test papers based on everyone\u2019s strengths. Throughout the day, we tried to stay positive and support one another, especially during some of the more challenging papers. We found Maths, Science and Engineering particularly difficult, but we worked through problems together by sharing ideas and helping each other when someone got stuck. Despite the challenges, everyone put in their best effort and stayed determined. I am very grateful to be a part of the 2026 Da Vinci Decathlon. Our team was especially proud of coming 1st in Codebreaking, which felt very rewarding after all the teamwork and preparation. We also placed 11th in Maths, 15th in Engineering and 16th in Creative Producers, making the day a really memorable experience. <\/em> What was the most academically difficult part of the day?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The most academically difficult part of the day was the science and english paper. As a group, I felt that year 8 found this to be the two areas of the decathlon in which we lacked the most, but neither the less, we worked as a team to give our best results possible. Which result surprised you the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Year 7 got 10th place in Codebreaking and 15th in Ideation, which were both a great surprise. Even though we didn\u2019t place in the other subjects, our team worked really hard and we did our best. I\u2019m very happy that I got to be a part of this fun experienc<\/em>e. Tell me about the Year 8 code breaking paper? What strategies did you use to be awarded first place for this section of the Decathlon? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Year 8 code breaking paper was a familiar challenge after doing the event in Year 7. By working effectively with Annabelle and drawing on our past experience, we were proud to place first. We began by quickly identifying familiar patterns like Caesar shifts and simple substitutions, giving us more time for the harder questions. Strategies such as writing out the alphabet and sharing tasks that required checking diagrams helped us stay efficient. Starting with the easier codes built our momentum, kept us calm under pressure, and strengthened our teamwork. Overall, I am so grateful to have been a part of year 8 code breaking this year to be able to achieve something we have been working so hard on in the lead up to DaVinci.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We placed first in the Year 8 code breaking paper at this year\u2019s Da Vinci, quite an improvement to the third place we earned last year. Because we were familiar with this paper, we were able to recognise patterns in the easier questions and apply what we had learnt during training. We used many strategies, such as the classic trial and error, sharing the roles for each question to work more efficiently and writing out the alphabet to visualise the order. Teamwork and ideas from both of us were very useful in helping us answer the questions, as well as some guesswork and a fair amount of luck. On the whole, we were so grateful for the training sessions and hard work put in to contribute to this achievement.<\/em> Which categories of the da Vinci Decathlon did you work on the most this year? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The categories I worked on the most this year were science and engineering. During the training sessions I worked with my teammates to complete the past papers. This helped us learn how to collaborate and improve our teamwork skills. On the day of the daVinci competition, in the morning I did the science paper which was challenging but we managed to find a solution and get an answer to each question. In the afternoon I participated in engineering. Engineering was also hard because we struggled to create something, but we managed to persevere and ended up coming 15th<\/em>. Did you learn anything new or spark any new interests at the da Vinci Decathlon? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The code breaking paper I had completed showed me a lot of different ciphers that were used in Ancient and Medieval times. I now want to learn more about them and other ciphers that used to be used. I also helped others with their papers and all round it was. <\/em> The Senior Ethics Olympiad continues to be an event that draws in many students, the program compliments the Philosophy elective offered in year 9 and 10 and sits well within the IB program where senior students are able to log their hours as part of their CAS project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blue Senior ethics team placed 5th out of 25 teams whilst the Aqua team placed 11th and received an honorable mention from the judges. Below are some snapshots from our athletes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell me about an opposing team who made an ethical argument that surprised you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My team and I competed in the Ethics Olympiad against a range of different schools, engaging in thoughtful and sometimes unexpected moral arguments. When discussing the case \u2018Phenotypic Prometheus\u2019, one team made a particularly surprising claim. They discussed the idea that ultimately the choice of the parents in altering genetics, whether it be to save their child or for choosing a more desirable trait for their child, was the same kind of genetic selection, even though the objective of the selection is significantly different. This unexpected comparison encouraged critical thinking from myself and my team members, as we contemplated the morality of embryo selection, and whether this selection depends on the act of genetic choice or the purpose behind it. <\/em> How could you tell the judges liked your argument?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I could tell the judges liked our argument when they asked thought-provoking follow up questions rather than challenging our conclusions. Their questions gave us the opportunity to further our understanding and also showed that they were interested in how we had arrived at our position. At the end of each session, the judge would also give us some constructive feedback that reflected what they liked about our argument. <\/em>Hannah Chan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What was the hardest question a judge asked you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I think was the most difficult question asked to the team was to determine whether a moral duty was fulfilled even if nothing happened or no positive outcome was achieved. This felt hard as often we feel that when we perform what would be defined as objectively \u2018good\u2019 actions, an outcome that achieved a proportional amount of \u2018good\u2019 is expected, however this wasn\u2019t the case in the scenario we were given. To solve this, the team had to distinguish between the fact that a moral duty was fulfilled, even if a moral outcome wasn\u2019t achieved. <\/em> Year 11 and 12 students attended the Model United Nations this May that was hosted at UTS Business School. The students had an intense four days where they left their studies behind and embodied delegates. It required all of their political prowess to form alliances and convince their peers to shape the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you make any new contacts with students from other schools whilst participating at the Model United Nations? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, during HMUN I had the opportunity to connect and collaborate with a large number of motivated and driven students from other schools. Engaging in discussions and debates during my time at HMUN allowed me to build relationships with peers who shared similar interests in global issues, diplomacy and leadership. These interactions helped me develop a network of like-minded individuals who are passionate about making an impact. <\/em> How did you cope with the 4 days of intensive discussions at the Model United Nations? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, the four days of intensive discussions felt overwhelming, but I quickly adapted to the fast paced environment. Staying focused, managing my time and collaborating with other delegates helped me keep up with debates. Although the sessions were demanding, the opportunity to talk about global issues and develop practical solutions kept me motivated and engaged throughout the conference. <\/em> The HMUN asked you to dress in business attire, make your own way into the city, engage in high level political discussions and act like an independent young adult- did you enjoy this experience?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I really did enjoy the independence that came with HMUN. Dressing in business attire daily, navigating the city with my friends, and participating in high-level political discussions in DISEC made the whole experience feel incredibly real and empowering. Having experienced this at a young age was really valuable and insightful. Representing Malaysia pushed me to think critically, speak confidently and collaborate professionally. It was challenging in the best way and made me feel like a capable young adult stepping into a diplomatic space, which gave me a glimpse into the expectations and responsibilities that come with operating in a professional environment.<\/em> May has certainly been a busy time of year for students, finding time between assessment blocks to attend a number of enrichment opportunities and co-curricular activities. The students and staff attending have been kind enough to answer some of my questions about their experiences. Snapshots from the da Vinci Decathlon It was a successful decathlon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":21173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","article_category":[4],"article_tag":[],"class_list":["post-21167","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_category-secondary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/21167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_category?post=21167"},{"taxonomy":"article_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/ssc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_tag?post=21167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Student reflections:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Haesol Bok<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Annabelle Wong<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shanaya DSouza<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isabella Grasso<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keira Donald<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isabella Grasso and Annabelle Wong<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michelle Ho<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zara Hraiki <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d1dfwahqlx324v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-03-at-5.28.40-pm.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSnapshots from the Senior Ethics Olympiad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ilaria Musca<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tanvi Chava<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSnapshots from HMUN<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aisha Hughes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hannah Chan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arianna Harris<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"