Two teams from AISM recently competed in the finals rounds of the World Scholar’s Cup held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut from 18 to 21 November. Students Alexander Kam, Erja Mohd Suhaimy, Airyl Shazli, Jemma Brisk and Taiitsu Masunaga participated in debate, collaborative essay-writing tasks and tests that examined their knowledge of the theme ‘Imperfect World’, against 700 students from all around the globe.

The students showed a great deal of dedication by attending training sessions throughout the year. They dedicated much of their time towards their preparation and their hard work was clearly evident judging from their success in all threeWorld Scholar’s Cup competitions in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and now at Yale University.

AISM students won gold and silver medals in individual and team events such as debating, collaborative writing, the Scholars Challenge, Top Overall Scholar and other awards in the categories of Arts, Literature, and TeamWriting.

In order to obtain a medal, participants need to be in the top 20% for a Silver, and in the top 5% for Gold. The happy winners owe their victory to teachers Ms Stravenuiter and Mr Broadbent who have been dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate about making sure the teams train hard and were prepared for the challenges to come. They also credited their success to their parents who devoted time to prepare the group through debate sessions and essay-writing tasks.

AISM encourages students to explore, excel and extend their learning, both in and out of the classroom. TheWorld Scholar’s Cup is one of the annual competitions the school participates in to help extend student learning and make connections between their learning and the real world.

This article was originally published in The Expat magazine (January 2017) which is available online or in print via a free subscription.