EVENTFUL: The Doha Round was held over two days resulting in remarkable academic and personal achievements.
By Anand Holla
It was a battle of the sharpest young minds, last weekend. More than 200 students from 10 different schools in Qatar attended the World Scholar’s Cup Regional Round in Doha, hosted by the International School of London Qatar.
With the theme for this year being ‘The World Unbound’, fascinating topics in all of the seven subjects came to the fore. This year, for the first time, the Doha Round was held over two days – on Friday and Saturday – the first being hosted at the International School of London Qatar’s campus, and the second, also hosted by ISL Qatar, but at the Qatar National Convention Centre, resulting in two days of remarkable academic and personal achievements.
The event constituted a celebration of the critical thinking, problem-solving and collaborative skills of the students, as well as their prowess at debating and persuasive writing. The World Scholar’s Cup is one of the fastest-growing extracurricular activities in the world. This year, more than 15,000 students will participate at 50 regional events. These events will take place in 30 different countries, in six continents.
The World Scholar’s Cup is a celebration of learning rather than a competition as all participants have the opportunity to excel in their areas of interest, and are supported by their team members as they collaborate to explore new subjects and practise new skills. There is no place for reciting learned facts; rather it provides a platform for applying, analysing and evaluating the information related to the themes, and then for creativity in each of the four events.
Events at the World Scholar’s Cup include Team Debate, Collaborative Writing, Scholar’s Bowl – a fast-paced group problem-solving activity with a game show feel to it – and Scholar’s Challenge – a critical thinking, decision-making experience which draws on all the reading, discussion and thinking that has gone before. Rounding out the schedule are community-building events, such as a forum discussion led by speakers nominated through the Debate rounds and an optional talent show in which scholars can entertain their peers.
The Doha Round talent show held at the QNCC on Saturday was an impressive combination of talent and professionalism. In the award ceremony that followed, 44 trophies were awarded. More than 30 International School of London Qatar students from Grade 5 to Grade 9 participated in the competition and all of them got medals, special prizes and trophies, including first five places in different categories, among them Writing and Debating.
The WSC organisers reportedly declared “the best essay I have ever read in the history of the WSC” and “this is the first time that three members of the same team from one school achieved the first three places in their division.”
As a result of this competition, the students who bagged awards secured their participation in the Global Round of the World Scholar’s Cup which will be held in June in Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia.
Last year, four ISL students were invited to the culmination of the year-long WSC competition – the Tournament of Champions at Yale University, USA. Two were able to take up the invitation, and underwent a life-changing experience. It is likely that this year more students from the school will gain places to participate in this final tournament, further enhancing the international image of Qatar and its vibrant academic environment.
