Alexander Munro of Queen Margaret’s School has won first place in British Columbia for the Canadian Scholastic Achievement League (CSAL) Scholastic Challenge. This year’s win increases the School’s record to five provincial championships in seven years.
CSAL’s Scholastic Challenge is an online academic competition open to all Canadian Grade 6 students. The contest is a one hour multiple choice test containing 100 questions in six categories: general knowledge, language and literature, social studies, science and mathematics. This year’s provincial champion thought the format and content of the test was a fun chance to explore his knowledge. “I normally don’t do well on multiple choice tests, especially timed ones,” explains Munro. “I thought the questions were interesting because we don’t normally get tested on such a broad range of content. I was completely stunned when I found out I earned first in BC.”
The win may have been a surprise to Munro, but this was not the case for QMS Junior School Principal, Susan Cruikshank. “Alexander has always been an enthusiastic reader and voracious learner, and his ability to retain details is impressive,” shares Cruikshank. “His curiosity about the world and current events comes through in classroom discussions each day. We’re very proud of Alexander.”
The provincial championship was again a surprise for Grade 6 teacher Fiona Morrison. “I’m so excited for these students and thrilled they find this competition a healthy and fun opportunity to challenge their familiarity with the curriculum materials,” adds Morrison. “Over three-quarters of the class placed above the national average. Any teacher would be proud of that level of accomplishment.”
