Radford College shines at Da Vinci Decathlon

By Ms Jenni Bodell, Head of Academic Care; Ms Tegan Crain, Academic Enrichment Teacher; Mr Nick Martin and Mrs Jo O’Brien, Assistant Heads of Junior School Learning and Teaching

Congratulations to our outstanding Year 8 students, who were crowned overall champions of the prestigious Da Vinci Decathlon—an academic competition celebrating creativity, critical thinking and collaboration—held at Canberra Grammar School in Week 1 of Term 2.

The winning team of Rachel Yu, Sophie Linton, Dinugi Weerabaddana Dissanayake, Selina Li, Madeleine Luu, Siyara Malhinge, Linda Guo and Quentin Horrobin demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork across the ten disciplines of the competition. Their efforts have earned them a place in the New South Wales State Finals at Knox Grammar School later this month.

Radford’s success extended well beyond the Year 8 team. Students from Years 5—10 also competed, with many teams achieving impressive results.

The Da Vinci Decathlon challenges students across ten disciplines: engineering, mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy. Our Year 7—10 teams achieved multiple podium finishes, with particular strengths shown in mathematics and English. Full results will be published on the Da Vinci Decathlon website.

Year 5 Da Vinci Decathlon team comprising Nicholas Wang, Alice Buckley, Peilin Luo, Kayla Tao, Celine Trinh, Eloise Beacroft, Derek Lee and Tanish Balchukuri (in no particular order).

Our Junior School students also impressed. Two teams from Years 5 and 6 showcased remarkable perseverance, problem-solving abilities and teamwork as they navigated a wide range of intellectually demanding tasks. Their enthusiasm, collaboration and respect for others truly embodied the spirit of the Decathlon and the values of Radford College.

The Year 5 team achieved third place overall, with standout performances including:

• First place in code breaking

• Second place in art and poetry

• Third place in ideation and creative producers

The Year 6 team placed fifth overall, excelling with:

• Second place in code breaking and science

• Third place in legacy and engineering

Mr Nick Martin and Mrs Jo O’Brien commended the Year 5 and 6 students for their dedication, resilience and support for one another, noting that they displayed maturity beyond their years.

Year 6 Da Vinci Decathlon team comprising Olivia Bettison, Daniel Zhang, Yongmin Yin, Alexis Vassallo, Jayden Huang, Heer Vunnam, Emmee Rock and Riyana Budhwar (in no particular order).

A heartfelt congratulations to all participants on your exceptional efforts—you represented Radford College with pride and distinction!

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