21 March 2025
On Wednesday 5 March, 23 students from Years 7 to 12 took part in the first round of the Australian Computational and Linguistics Olympiad (OzCLO). With six teams competing, the afternoon was filled with problem-solving, teamwork, and plenty of determination. OzCLO is a national competition which has students tackle challenging linguistic puzzles, deciphering unfamiliar languages and applying logic to different language systems. It’s a mix of problem-solving and code-breaking, though with words instead of numbers.
From 2 to 4 pm, our resolute teams worked through a series of puzzles covering a wide range of languages, some ancient, some modern, and all requiring sharp thinking. The questions involved spotting patterns in unfamiliar grammar and translating unknown words. The problems were far from easy, but everyone gave it their best shot, working together under time pressure.
It was fantastic to see students from different year levels take part in the competition and embracing the challenge. A big thank you to Mr Browning and Mr Carter for coming by to support the teams, and to Dr Garcia for organising the event. Unfortunately, none of our teams progressed to the second round, but everyone had lots of fun and put in a strong effort. It was a great afternoon, and we’re already looking forward to the state level competition later this year, as well as next year’s OzCLO competition.
Matthew Liu and Quinn Murphy
Co-Captains, SPSC OzCLO Society
