International Geography Olympiad Success

From Scoop (NZ):  International Geography Olympiad Success

In difficult and busy times for the education sector it is always good to have good news, says Professor John Overton. The NZ Geographical Society has received a report on New Zealand successes in the International Geography Olympiad. All four secondary school geographers won medals reports Overton. Their success in 2012 sits alongside those of the five other subjects of the Science Olympiads New Zealand (SONZ); Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Informatics and Mathematics.
The five day Geography Olympiad was held in Cologne, with three testing examination sessions. Scott Cameron and Brent Coleman from Hamilton Boys High School both won silver medals, with Sidney Wong (Hutt Valley High School) and Connor Clemett (Riccarton High School) getting bronze medals. 34 countries competed, with Singapore the overall winner in 2012.

In a separate team competition the New Zealand poster presentation shared the Dr Prill prize for cartography. The team leader, Anna Wilson from Wellington, reported that the team had written the poster material and trained well for the presentation. She said the team always thought they had a good chance with the theme of well-suited to New Zealand. The theme was “Water as a key national resource”.

Professor Overton acknowledged the work of the teachers who had led New Zealand international teams in Geography since 2006. “They do a great job, and allow our students to be excellent ambassadors for the country, taking our culture and our landscapes to an international audience”. He also noted the value of a government grant that meant students had to raise only about 50% of their fares and participation costs.

New Zealand successes in Cologne. From left, Sydney Wong (Hutt Valley), Scott Cameron and Brent Coleman (Hamilton Boys) and Connor Clements (Riccarton) show off their medals.