Dumfries and Galloway Schools Take on the Da Vinci Challenge

Description

The schools competing are Annan Academy, Dalbeattie High School, Douglas Ewart High School, Dumfries Academy, Dumfries High School, Sanquhar Academy, St Joseph’s College, Stranraer Academy, and Wallacehall Academy.

The da Vinci Decathlon was established by Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. The school wanted a project to challenge students in a creative way, beyond the classroom, without formal assessment. The challenge reached Scotland through a teacher exchange between Dalbeattie High School and Knox Grammar School in 2012. The challenges devised, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, were seen to be so successful that the concept grew, with the programme spreading throughout the state, across Australia, then internationally with Dalbeattie High School participating in the first international challenge in Milan, Italy, in 2013.

Support to the challenge has come from:
Geoff Allison (grandparent of participating student – code breaking)
Dr Stuart Handscombe (University of Glasgow – philosophy)
Professor Collette Haig (UWS – mathematics)
Professor John Lockhart (UWS – science)
Jackie Flynn (Dumfries High School – creative producers)
Electric Theatre Workshop (creative producers)
Simon Mein (Dalbeattie High School – cartography)
Liz Niven (poet – art and poetry)
Isabell Buenz (artist – art and poetry)
Roz Anderson – (Dumfries College – engineering)
Stephen Long – (Graham Engineers – engineering)
Lesley Whyte – (Bibliographic Data Services – English)
Sean O’Toole – (Dumfries and Galloway Council – chess)