The Wellington School Philosophy Team performed brilliantly at a National Philosothon, coming second amidst stiff competition and scooped two additional individual prizes.
Philosothon is a seriously academic philosophy competition judged by leading Professors and lecturers in philosophy. The idea is new to the UK and was born in Australia in 2007.
The second ever National Philosothon was held at King’s College, Taunton with a large number of participating schools from around the country.
The team, which spanned Year 9 to Year 13, consisted of Anthony James, Matthew Williams, Genevieve Huntley, Ed Wilson, Jenny Jasper, Sophie Bennett, Isobel Elliott, Freddie Renyard, Keiran Maye, Georgie Simms, and Lydia Mitchell.
In addition to the coveted Second Prize, pupils also brought home two of the five individual prizes. A prize was awarded for the best philosopher in each year group – Freddie Renyard received this accolade as the best in Year 10, and Ed Wilson was the best Lower Sixth philosopher.
Philosothons encourage students to investigate complex philosophical and ethical questions. In the process of preparing and participating in Philosothons, students have the opportunity to develop higher order thinking and communication skills.
“Philosophy teaches us to argue a case more forcefully, to express thoughts better, and also to be more flexible and creative in our approach to the problems that face us in our work or our daily lives”, commented Reverend Jeremy Hellier, Wellington School’s Chaplain, Head of RE and team coach.
“This was a wonderful evening for all concerned – the team performed brilliantly and did themselves credit. It was a moment of great pride for me having coached the team, ably assisted by the other RE staff,” concluded Revd. Hellier.