Over a weekend in early March 2017, YCIS Secondary students took home multiple Gold & Silver awards in both individual and Team debates. Congratulations to our entrants at this year’s World Scholar’s Cup! This competition is just one of endless far reaching platforms made available to hone YCIS inner transformation.

The origin of The World Scholar’s Cup goes back to 2007 with a humble start in Korea, today the organisation gathers momentum with tens of thousands of students across dozens of countries. It leads regional competitions and conferences, offering platforms for motivated students to demonstrate their extraordinary strengths, and inspire a global community of future scholars and leaders – a key aspect to the YCIS philosophy.

Griffin Tung, Year 12 student describes the event as “an exhilarating experience”. “I’d never felt anything like it, on such scale and enormity. Learning, problem solving and debating, while making a few friends along the way - it’s all part of the experience at the World Scholar’s Cup.”

Griffin continues to explain, “As a part of the debate team, the motions were challenging, to say the least, but being part of the debate showcase situation itself (in front of every other competitor), was a very different matter. The challenging part was not actually in debating, but pulling myself together to face the 600-odd audience. I am glad to say I made it! Winning Top 10 Individual Debaters Award came a welcome surprise, and needless to say I practically leapt on stage to receive my medal. At the end of the day however, I realised that this was only the beginning. On to the Global Rounds!”

Ching Laam in Year 11 reflects on what it means to her to push hard in the field of debating, “On the surface the World Scholar’s Cup may appear to be ‘nerdy’ or ‘boring’, but it is just one of the things where you have to be involved in to truly understand how it is. For the second year, I had the privilege of working in a team with two of my closest friends, and I suppose it is the people (students and hosts alike) you encounter that make the World Scholar’s Cup such a unique and dynamic tournament, undoubtedly one of a kind.”

Gold Individual Award winner, Ching Laam, continues, “The four different academic events are challenging in their own way, but at the same time they broaden your perspective and get you to think and learn about things you may otherwise not think or learn about. For instance, I have never heard of a moonshot or a cosmic egg until the World Scholar’s Cup. Even though a weekend of writing, debating and challenges was indeed tiring, it never diminished our high spirits.” To conclude, she states, “I was definitely surprised and proud by my high individual and team achievements, especially in debate and the challenge – it was the best we have ever performed in a World Scholar’s Cup round, and I hope to be able to build upon those achievements and experience much more in yet another global round, this time in Hanoi.”