Home Hill State High School Heads To Opti-MINDS State Finals For Third Year In A Row

Home Hill State High School is set to showcase its creativity and teamwork at the Opti-MINDS State Finals in Brisbane on 18–19 October 2025 following an outstanding performance at the Regional Championships in Townsville on 31 August, where the junior team, The Misfits, earned an Honours placing and a coveted Wildcard entry.

Opti-MINDS is a nationally recognised competition that challenges students to “Think, Create and Communicate” while solving real-world problems. Home Hill SHS is the only school from the Burdekin region to participate, giving its students a rare opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in Queensland.

At the regional challenge, The Misfits presented a creative play blending live performance and digital media. Their story imagined society 100 years in the future and explored how information can be manipulated by those in power, using humor, drama, and popular culture references to highlight the importance of critical thinking and preserving truth.

Victoria Flynn, the teacher in charge, said the teams prepared through lunch breaks, after school, and even a day during the school holidays, learning invaluable skills along the way. “Each year we’ve had people that have done it before, so they have that experience," she said. "It’s about not questioning what they’re doing and letting them go on whatever tangents they want. Some of these kids are shy, and it gets them out of their shell, showing them that they can do more than what they think.”

Isla Wilkie, a member of The Misfits, echoed this. "[Opti-MINDS] definitely helps with creative thinking and thinking outside the box, and gives you the confidence to speak up,” she said. “It's encouraged us to learn everyone’s unique perspectives on things and use them as a team to get a good result. We all have very different focuses, but we put them together and came up with a good outcome."

This marks the third consecutive year Home Hill SHS has advanced to the State Finals. The Wildcard entry earned by The Misfits is one of only four offered statewide this year, highlighting the team’s exceptional creativity and problem-solving skills.

For rural students, the experience offers much more than competition, says Ms Flynn. “Some of our students haven’t been on a train, some haven’t been on a plane. We go down on the train or fly, and they do things outside their comfort zone. They absolutely love it.”

The school community is invited to support the students’ journey to Brisbane. Contributions towards travel and event costs can be made via the QR code below. Every donation helps Home Hill SHS students take their ideas to the state stage, and prove that small schools can achieve big things.
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Photos:
1. Junior Team - The Misfits - prepare for the State Finals -Ashlyn Poli, Talin Poli, Faryn Poli, Isla Wilkie, Cheyanne Worland, Adam Young & Mackenzie Worland
2. Senior Team Participants Sam Perina, Zaine Palmer, Cruz Torkington, Christiana Bugeja & Grace Ogomeni Absent - Zoe Bonanno & Grayson Potter-Geitz