Recently, Aquinians from Years 7 to 9 competed in the Have Sum Fun Maths Online challenge. This competition followed on from last term’s Have Sum Fun Maths Face to Face, where groups of six students worked collaboratively to find solutions to various critical thinking problems. However, the online version of the competition had students solve similar questions, under similar time pressure, as an individual.

This competition was run online, and schools from around the state participated. There were a total of 30 questions, split into three groups, where each question had its own difficulties; whether it was complex diagrams, strenuously long decimals, unnecessary wording or a trick question to muddle with our brains.

Overall the competition was a lot of fun and helped test our own thinking skills without the help of others. The satisfaction of finishing a group of questions or that eureka moment when a tough problem finally makes sense made the challenge so enjoyable.

In our Year 9 individual stage, Aquinas placed highly with the three students in our competition; Jonathan Vinci, David Csontos and myself, Nishok Nimalan finishing in three of the top four places with Jonathan winning first prize in the state. Much of the reason why we placed so well was due to the opportunities we receive here at Aquinas College, through initiatives such as our Academic Scholars Program, we are able to broaden our minds in a creative environment with the chance to apply this knowledge to competitions such as the Have Sum Fun Maths Online challenge.