On January 29, nine intrepid Sierra Canyon scholars staked a claim in extracurricular excellence by participating in the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO), a three-hour assessment centered on logic and language.
Students dedicated an entire morning to rigorous problem-solving, tackling puzzles that required them to identify patterns and make predictions. This year’s test featured a range of languages, symbols, and ciphers that challenged the mettle of the ambitious scholars listed below. In one such problem, students were given only a handful of clues about Warlpiri, an Aboriginal language spoken by approximately 3,000 people in Central Australia, and were asked not only to translate words and phrases into English, but also from English into Warlpiri. See this challenging word puzzle here.
Ryan R. ’30, like many participants, prepared for the Olympiad by working through past contest problems, including one that involved analyzing patterns in Scottish Gaelic terms. As seen in the image of her work, Ryan was given no direction or suggested strategy. Instead, she constructed her own problem-solving system, demonstrating careful observation and critical thinking.
Although computational linguistics is not typically taught as a single subject, particularly below the university level, the mathematical and interdisciplinary skills cultivated early on at school are directly applicable to competitions like the NACLO. Angie K. ’30 made a clear connection between the contest and her Sierra Canyon classroom experience, noting, “The question asked about how words related to one another, like synonyms. It reminded me of an exercise in Membean, the English Department’s vocabulary program,” Angie observed (see the images of Membean’s word map illustrating relationships between words and meaning).
A huge huzzah to these students who worked with diligence and gave so much of their time and effort to the NACLO. If you are a code-breaker, enjoy puzzles, or are just curious about the program, contact Mr. Keller at [email protected].
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