Moyle Park College students Mensa winners are class act

A POST-PRIMARY school recently hosted a Mensa and scholarship awards ceremony for 30 of its first year students, celebrating their smarts.

Over 160 students sat entrance exams in Moyle Park College in 2021 and of them, just 30 were invited to sit the prestigious Mensa exam.

The Mensa is an internationally recognised organisation, which acknowledges people within the top two percent of intelligence in the general population.

To qualify for Mensa, students need to sit an exam and achieve a score of 148 or above. Five students were successful, with scores ranging between 148 and 158.

Established in the 1940s, the purpose of Mensa is to identify and foster intelligence, encourage research into the nature, characteristics and uses of said intelligence, and provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for members.

There are over 145,000 Mensans in around 100 countries worldwide.

Moyle Park has run it annually since the introduction of the programme in 2012 and currently some 42 students have been awarded Mensa membership in the post-primary school.

Stephen Doyle, Mensa Coordinator in Moyle Park College, explained how the school is immensely proud of its student-base continuing to achieve well in Mensa examinations.

“On average in a school five to 10 percent of the student body are considered exceptionally able,” Mr Doyle said.

“However, if we look at Moyle Park College we know that currently 29% of students are considered to be exceptionally able. This is three times the national average.

“This is something that we are really proud of here in Moyle Park College and we hope to continue this legacy long into the future.

“We are continuing to build the Mensa mentoring programme for high achievers here in Moyle Park and we know that with the support of staff, students and parents, the future is bright for these young men.”