External Competitions
Macgregor SHS provides students with a range of opportunities to test their skills and abilities in a number of external competitions. These competitions are done in and out of school time and sometimes at external venues. Students are encouraged to listen carefully to daily notices about how to access these opportunities.
Lions Youth of the Year
RACI Titration Competition
Australian Geography Competition
Student Economics Competition
History Competitions
Moviemania
Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art
Australian Geography Competition
Students of Geography take part in this annual Competition for a chance to win a place on the Australian team at the National Geographic World Championships or the International Geography Olympiad, both of which take place at overseas destinations.
This is initially a school based contest of secondary students’ Geography knowledge and skills. It takes place in first term in approximately 750 schools across the country and involves on average between 80 000 and 90 000 Geography students.
The competition is an initiative of the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland and the Australian Geography Teacher’s Association and is sponsored by five Universities from across Australia and the Australian Government Department of Education.
Prizes include books, money, certificates, interstate trips to ‘Geography’s Big Week Out’ national finals, and overseas travel to international finals.
MacGregor High boasts the success of our past Academic School Captain Riley Kernaghan, who won the Queensland and national finals. In 2011 Riley was a member of the Australian team of three students who travelled to San Francisco and Google Headquarters to compete in the World Championships. Riley carried the additional honour of being nominated as Team Captain.
More information can be sourced at RACI School Titration Competition.
History Competitions
There are many competition opportunities in History to enable students to extend their learning and win prizes and certificates. Here is a snapshot:
The Premier’s Anzac Prize
- This competition is being offered in three consecutive years to students in Year 8 - 11.
- Students submit a multimedia presentation addressing a topic related to the ANZAC tradition.
- Prize: Trip to Gallipoli to witness the Anzac Day commemoration
- See this website for details http://education.qld.gov.au/students/grants/scholarships/anzac/2015.html
The Simpson Prize
- This is a competition for Year 9 and 10 students on behalf of the Australian Government. The focus of the competition is the Australian ANZAC tradition and students are asked to write an essay or prepare an audio-visual presentation on a question related to World War One. Students need to make effective use of the Australian War Memorial Website in Canberra.
- Prize: preparatory trip to Canberra and a 2 week trip to Turkey.
- See this website for details http://www.simpsonprize.org
QHTA Historical Writing Competition
- This is a competition for students in years 7 to 12 from QLD and NT schools by the QLD History Teachers’ Association
- Students write a response on a self-nominated topic related to any Historic period. The genre can be a choice of essay, report, diary entries, newspaper article, play, script.
- It must be historical in the sense that it addresses an issue concerned with causes or consequences or change of continuity in human affairs in the identified time period.
- It can be a topic studied in History studies at school.
- Teachers need to submit these entries as there is a limit to the number per school. More information at http://www.qhta.com.au/competitions.htm
Lions Youth of the Year
Although Lions Youth of the Year is advertised as an annual Public Speaking competition, students must not only speak in a public forum, but also undergo an interview to determine winners. The competition consists of completing an application form which forms the basis of the interview, delivering a prepared five minute speech and two impromptu speeches each two minutes in length.
RACI Titration Competition
The Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) Titration competition is an annual Chemistry competition for year 12 Chemistry students.
The aim of the competition is to encourage students who enjoy Chemistry - especially practical Chemistry - and to recognise those who are becoming proficient. Leading teams in the Regional Competitions are eligible to enter the Finals of the National Competition, to be held in the second half of the year (usually October). For the S.E Qld Region, a winner is announced for each venue and an overall winner for the Region (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba Competition).
Entrants compete in teams of three (3). Individual students may also compete, but they will not be eligible for the National Finals. Each member of each team performs a simple acid-base titration exercise. A NaOH solution is standardised against standard HCl. An "unknown" acetic acid solution is then titrated with the NaOH solution. Judging is on the basis of the values the team members report for the acetic acid concentrations.
For more information see RACI School Titration Competition
Student Economics Competition
This is an annual competition organised by the Queensland Economics Teachers’ Association Inc. and sponsored by the University Of Queensland School Of Economics.
All Year 11 and 12 Economics students participate by completing a 40 minute quiz based on Core Units of the QLD Economics Syllabus. There is no cost to enter the Competition. Students are competing for cash and certificates against students across the state.
MacGregor High proudly upholds an excellent reputation of consistent outstanding achievements. Past student Michael Dao was awarded a prize for achieving top of the state in this competition of in excess of 1000 students.