FREDERICK Irwin Anglican School students have again proved they are among the best young minds in the country after making it to the state finals of the Opti-MINDS competition.
Opti-MINDS is a problem solving program for teams of school students who are required to solve demanding, open-ended challenges.
Two of the primary school teams made it to the state finals, with two of the teams taking home silver medals and the other two teams working hard in the regional round.
The competition is not part of the curriculum at Frederick Irwin after year eight but a group of year nine students gave up their Saturdays to prepare for this year’s entry.
They were given the Spirit of Opti-MINDS award for their dedication and teamwork took part in a five-day challenge in Brisbane, which included presenting at the 20/20 Opti-vision Youth Forum at Queensland University.
The students were the first team from Western Australia to present at the forum and they enjoyed a visit to Movie World on the Gold Coast during their visit.
Frederick Irwin teacher and Opti-MINDS team facilitator Cheryl Rudland was also named facilitator of the year for her commitment to the project.