Meriden’s Year 10 team was crowned National Champion at the da Vinci Decathlon in June.
This is the second year the team has advanced to the national finals, bettering their result from last year, when they claimed second place.
The da Vinci Decathlon is an annual academic competition, designed to celebrate the academic gifts of Australian youth by providing a stimulating and challenging competition run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon.
The team achieved excellent results at the national finals and secured a top three placing in eight out of ten disciplines, including first in Art and Poetry, English and Ideation; second in Science and Code Breaking; and third in Creative Producers, Engineering and Mathematics.
“One of the biggest highlights of this year’s da Vinci Decathlon was the fact that we as a team, got to go through every level, starting at the regional level and progressing to the state and national competitions!” Chloe Zhou said.
The Year 10 team were delighted they were moving on to the state championships with the Year 9 team that also won their division in the regional competition.
“This is just one example of the growth in the Meriden da Vinci program,” Olivia Kim said.
“We’re still reeling from the win at the national competition, and we’re so thankful for the preparation and work of our teachers, and each other, as our collaborative efforts have certainly paid off,” Olivia said of their win.
The girls said preparing for the competition wasn’t about memorising and revising content. “It was about learning how each of us worked, our different strengths, how we handled time pressure, and what roles we naturally fell into,” Chloe said.
“We learned to trust each other. That sense of team chemistry made the competition days much more enjoyable and fulfilling.
“Throughout the competitions, I was constantly reminded how fun academic challenges can be where I’m surrounded by a team of friends who genuinely love thinking deeply and creatively!”
Exceptional results at local regional and state competitions
All Meriden teams demonstrated exceptional teamwork and a high level of commitment, as reflected in their remarkable performance throughout all stages of the da Vinci Decathlon.
Congratulations to every student who proudly represented Meriden in this prestigious competition.
The Year 7 team finished ninth in the state final: Arzoo Kajani, Olivia Ling, Zoe Tu, Christina Wang, Sophia Wang, Kaitlyn Xi, Julia Yun, Muyao Zhang, Trisha Baddam (Reserve), Maggie Geng (Reserve).
The Year 8 team: Angel Chen, Zoe Gao, Mila Ke, Mia Liu, Vicky Qian, Maya Vojvodic, Clare Yang, Cynthia Yu, Jessie Xu (Reserve), Angel Yang (Reserve).
The Year 9 team finished first in the regional competition and fourth in the state final: Simrita Baddam, Emilia Ghaly, Danielle Ho, Emma Rose Koeswandy, Chloe Li, Serena Li, Yumi Takusagawa, Emma Zhang, Luyin Wang (Reserve).
The Year 10 team finished first in regional, state and national competitions: Amelia Von, Chloe Zhou, Eva Gao, Jasmine Yang, Lisa Chen, Olivia Kim, Vivian Liao, Yiru Li, Cindy Shen (reserve), Miriam Shin (reserve).
The Year 11 team finished second in the regional competition: Amy Chen, Angelin Chen, Anjali Popuri, Diya Maninathan, Ila Bains, Kaitlyn Blair, Michelle Lu, Misha Sengupta, Abby Xu (reserve), Jolin Zhang (reserve).
