The Christ Church junior (Year 6) and middle division (Year 8) teams have been invited to attend the 2010 National Finals, to be held at The University of Melbourne in October, after making it through the qualifying round.

The teams, coached by Prep School Deputy Head Brad Hilliard and Head of Humanities David Proudlove respectively, completed the booklet programme option on Global Issues Problem Solving. The boys applied the FPSP six-stage creative problem solving process to research topics, including orphaned children and food distribution, to finish amongst the top 10 per cent in the nation.

FPSP aims to develop critical and futuristic thinking as well as creative thinking skills. The international programme has been operating in Australia for more than 20 years but was introduced to Christ Church by Prep School Deputy Head Brad Hilliard in 2009.

Mr Hilliard, who coaches the programme as part of the Prep School’s academic enrichment programme, said a select group of Year 5 and 6 boys were offered FPSP as a subject. In the Senior School, Mr Proudlove offered FPSP for up to 30 boys in Year 8. In 2011, this programme will again be offered in Year 8 as a component of the Humanities course and may be offered as a co-curricular lunchtime activity for Years 7 and 9.

Mr Hilliard said the National Finals presented an exciting challenge for both teams, who will both be ‘punching above their weight’. “Our junior team will be competing against mostly Year 7 teams while our middle division will be competing against Year 9s and 10s.”