World Scholar’s Cup Global Round
Jake Smith, Fatih Ozer and Cecilia Chen wrote about KGV success at the Global Round of the World Scholars Cup:
In 2014, a small group of KGV students left for West Island School for their first ever World Scholar’s Cup, after being informed of the competition only a few days prior. Unacquainted with the eccentric and quirky style of the competition, they performed incredibly well and decided it was a worthwhile endeavour for other KGV students.
Fast-forward two years: a group of those original students ran a school club which aimed to send a larger delegation from KGV in 2016. After a few months of practice, that KGV delegation performed exceptionally in the Hong Kong regional round in fact placing as the best delegation on the day. This admirable performance was met with acceptance to the Global Round for all KGV teams, alongside several medals and trophies.
The original student leaders decided to run a school trip for a KGV delegation to attend the Global Round this year, which ended several years of their work just a few weeks ago in Bangkok, Thailand. The delegation, consisting of 5 teams of 3, arrived in Bangkok on Sunday the 26th of June. They spent the first day revising, and on a dinner cruise of the Chao Phraya River.
Monday was the first full day of the competition, students (or scholars) sat through an introductory ceremony, with guest speaker and acclaimed poet Boey Kim Cheng, before being split up for the Scholar’s Scavenge. This was basically a scavenger hunt around the mall holding the conference centre, with completely randomised teams – giving scholars the opportunity to make friends with people from all over the world. This particular scholar met people from Bahrain, Zambia, South Africa, Norway, Japan and Kazakhstan. It was a truly fantastic experience, allowing scholars to engage in the friendly and welcoming environment of the competition.
A 5:00am start (sort of) on Tuesday saw the bulk of the competition, with both writing, debating and individual quiz events. In the evening was the Cultural Fair, one of the most incredible displays of internationalism from the competition. There scholars tried chocolate from Kyrgyzstan, read books about Zambia, ate Turkish delight, saw Bosnian landmarks, and met people from all over the world. At the end of a completely taxing day, KGV scholars returned back to the hotel tired but satisfied. At this point, the group had become very close – and tried to enjoy the action packed week together while it lasted.
Wednesday was the day of the group quiz, a talent show, and the Scholar’s Ball. These events passed by in a blur, with some incredible talent in the talent show (where one scholar decided to play the USSR anthem in full communist attire), loud music and bright lights at the ball. Scholars returned to the hotel for the last time early on Thursday morning after the ball, in high spirits but once again fatigued.
A late start on the final day of the competition set a joyous yet melancholy tone, as the scholars knew this was their last day in Bangkok. Another talent show and a flag ceremony preceded the final closing ceremony. The results were once again fantastic. All five teams from KGV came in the top 100, out of about 500 teams in the senior division. One student managed 3rd place out of around 1800 students individually, not to mention the array of fantastic performances across the board. The student leaders returned to Hong Kong with the team, more proud, sentimental, and tired than before they left.
We can only hope that this amazing experience has inspired a tradition in KGV to attend the competition in the future, and enjoy the multiple benefits of engaging with the event.
There will not be a school run trip to Yale University in the USA for the Tournament of Champions, despite our recent success, but we hope some of the students who came with us to Bangkok will go on and represent the school once again.
Please watch this amazing video made by one of the attending KGV scholars for a summary of the trip:
