The World Scholar's Cup 2019

Posted: 01/03/2019

The World Scholar’s Cup is coming to Bromsgrove over the weekend of 1st and 2nd June 2019.

Teams of students from local schools are warmly encouraged to apply. Some useful links from the scheme are included below:

• Introductory letters about the programme: http://www.scholarscup.org/intro/

• The syllabus: http://www.scholarscup.org/subjects/

• Videos introducing the programme and highlights of previous events: http://www.scholarscup.org/videos/

If you would like more detailed information, Robert Brown, one of the Cup’s organisers, will be in the area on Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th March and he would be very happy to talk to you about the scheme.

Alternatively, you can contact Jon Wingfield here at Bromsgrove School. Jon (Bromsgrove’s Director of A level) helped to organise the Regional Round in Bangkok last year and his son, Jake, has competed in the Scholar’s Cup for the past two years, qualifying for the Tournament of Champions at Yale University last year. It is a unique academic competition; it does not simply ask clever pupils to recite things that they have already learned at school in one specific area, it provides a catalyst for them to independently research things that they aren’t taught at school, to think about them a little more deeply and to spot connections. As a previous scholar observed, ‘You don't need to know that Victor Hugo was a realist; you need to know what artwork might have interested him the most.’

Individuals can shine, but it is very much about appreciating the diverse talents of your team of 3; one may have encyclopedic knowledge of Science, another a great public speaker, and the third a talented essay writer. The spirit of the competition is one of kindness and inclusion and it is also unashamedly quirky; Jon always say to pupils who might be interested in it, ‘if you think you might be too cool to be a part of it, you probably are; if you are the kind of pupil that likes to snigger when someone gets something wrong, it’s probably not for you either. However, if you love to find out new things, and are looking for a kind and supportive environment to express that and to learn new skills like essay writing and debating, then the World Scholar’s Cup is definitely for you.’

As the founder of the competition writes on the website: ‘It brings together many subjects, because before we can begin to specialize, we need to see the big picture. It challenges teams to work together, because there’s nothing harder or more inspiring than knowing that someone else depends on you. And it deals with serious global issues without taking itself too seriously, because I’m convinced that before we can fall in love with learning, we have to find the fun in learning.’

For further information in the first instance, please contact Jon Wingfield by email jwingfield@bromsgrove-school.co.uk or with the organiser, contact@scholarscup.org