“I definitely was a bit nervous ... but also very excited.”
ToM is a team-based problem-solving competition for primary, intermediate and secondary-age students.
Students take on open-ended challenges in science, technology, engineering and maths, the arts, language and literature, and social sciences.
“People have been congratulating us all around the school,” Wairangi said.
Originating in Australia, the event now attracts teams from many countries alongside New Zealand, including China, Thailand, India, Egypt, Hong Kong, Uganda, the UAE and South Africa.
“I really enjoyed just meeting all the new people,” Judah said.
Competitors were able to swap special competition badges with students from other countries.
Some of their favourites included a badge of the Sydney Opera House, older anniversary year badges and a Tasmanian devil badge.
The team earned the right to represent New Zealand in the primary school STEM category by winning the New Zealand ToM Nationals in September.
They joined the other category winners from the New Zealand finals to form the national team.
They were accompanied by assistant principal and team coach Tracey Dent, along with fellow assistant principal and WIS teacher Trina Roy.
“Being able to represent our country on the world stage was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Dent said.
“The students poured their hearts into every stage of our preparation.”
Students led fundraisers through the month of October to cover the costs of getting all team members over to Sydney.
More than 25 different businesses in the Whanganui region chose to be sponsors.
The team were tasked with decoding a light signal and creating a new creative signal of their own.
The students said they decided to use Vegemite and Marmite as part of their solution, saying as Kiwis that Marmite was better.
“The judges were Australian, so I don’t think they agreed with it,” Micah said.
Judah said the judges “were a bit sceptical at first, but they loved it”.
They tied for second place with Caningeraba State School from Queensland, Australia as Mel Maria Catholic Primary School from Western Australia took home gold.
“We could have done a little bit better, but I think we did almost our very best ... the team that won definitely deserved it,” Daisy said.
Dent said watching the growth of the team had been inspiring.
“To see their hard work recognised on an international stage was incredibly rewarding, not just for them but for everyone who supported the journey along the way.”
Dent said it was a particularly special competition as it celebrated diverse skillsets, not just children who perform well in a traditional academic setting.
“It’s not just a smart kids thing ... it’s acting ... the arts ... there’s a whole range of different things you can do for your skillset,” Sera-Dawn Harris said.
