The recently concluded World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) Tournament of Champions (ToC) held at Yale University in the US last November 16-23, 2018 saw the Miriam College (MC) delegation bagging a total of 138 medals—75 silvers and 63 golds—from both the Junior and Senior divisions. Five teams from the MC Middle School (MCMS) and three from the MC High School (MCHS) participated in the prestigious competition which pitted them against over 2,200 scholars from 58 countries in various academic events such as Team Debate, Collaborative Writing, Scholar’s Challenge, and Scholar’s Bowl. Following the theme “An Entangled World”, the tournament covered topics such as the Science of Memory, the History of Diplomacy, and the special area of Human Relationships.
 

MCMS tops Skittles Category in WSC for the 2nd time

An MCMS team placed first in the Skittles category of WSC again, but this time, in ToC. The team of Samantha Claire Arcenas, Marie Anne Eloiza Beriña and Leica Juliene Cecilia (Team 504) topped the Skittles category. Cecilia ranked 3rd place overall in the said category, while Beriña took 4th place. 
“The Skittles category is a special category composed of the youngest scholars from the Junior Division. They are the scholars who are not 13 years old yet. WSC recognizes the competence and grit of the “skittles” who, despite being very young compared to the other Junior scholars, still competed in the different events in WSC. The expected skills are the same as that of the other scholars and they should be able to perform well in writing, debate, scholar’s bowl, and scholar’s challenge,” says the Junior Division coach Patriluz  Manongsong.

Joie Melissande Ocampo from High School who competed in the Junior Division was hailed as Country Top Scholar and ranked 29th overall. Her team (Team 503), composed of two other students from Middle School, Krystah Maie Fajardo and Nicole Jeanne Pararuan, placed 24th in Debate, 24th in Scholar’s Bowl, and 33rd overall.

Zoie Irasusta on the other hand, reaped six gold medals in all the subjects in the Scholar’s Challenge (Arts, History, Literature, Science, Social Studies, and Special Area) and placed 4th in Social Studies and 62nd in the overall ranking. Her team (Team 500) composed of two more students from MS, Melissa Steffi de Chavez and Maia Anika Punzalan, placed 13th in the Scholar’s Challenge and 34th overall.

The MC delegation in the Junior Division brought home a total of 55 silver and 45 gold medals. There were a total of 1200 scholars or 400 teams who competed in this division alone. The MC Junior Division scholars were trained by Patriluz Manongsong and Mr Emil Jonathan Pandy.
 

MCHS brings home 38 medals

The Senior Division teams of Carmen Dolina, Lian Leonen-De Vela, and Isabela Santos (Team 776) and Fraunces De Guzman, Mariah Cual, and Bianca Leocadio (Team 777) collectively garnered 38 medals—20 silver and 18 gold. With a pool of 1,100 scholars (15 years and older) making up more than 350 teams for the Senior Division, Team 777 and 776 ranked 51st and 31st respectively in the Champion Team Debate countdown. Team 777 also placed 84th overall in the Scholar’s Bowl event, ultimately getting 88th place in the Champion Team countdown. The teams were trained by their coach Mr. Jean Daniel Victolero.

The Tournament of Champions serves as the culmination of a series of qualifying rounds of the World Scholars Cup. A mini-Global Round is scheduled to be held in Resorts World Manila for the year 2019.

“The girls knew how important the event was and it’s in them to bring pride to the school and to the country so our Friday and Saturday trainings in preparation for the different events in the competition came very light yet goal oriented,” concludes Manongsong.

This is the 7th time Miriam College has joined the WSC Tournament of Champions in Yale. Last year, a three-member team from the High School ranked 9th overall, besting more than 300 Senior Division teams in the final rounds of the WSCToC.  They are the Filipino team with the highest ranking and were also declared Top 1 in Southeast Asia in that Division.

“The idea behind the World Scholar’s Cup was to create something different than traditional academic competitions and conferences: a celebration of the joy of learning, a tournament as rewarding for the team that came in last as the for the team that came in first,” the WSC website defines the tournament.

The WSCToc is hosted by the Yale International Relations Association.