Brainy brothers head overseas

CHESS, volleyball and table tennis are just a few activities that brothers, Damien and Keaton Lawrence excel in, but it’s their intellectual genie that is taking the two teens to Argentina.

The 15 and 14 year old Northdene siblings are two of the gifted six who form the South African Junior Science team that will represent SA in the International Science Olympiad which will be held in Mendoza, Argentina in December.

At first glance the two brothers seem like your average teens, busy on their tablets, surfing the net and chatting online with friends but as you engage in a conversation with the two, you soon realise they are far from average.

“We took part in the National Science Olympiad a while ago and recently we received the news that not only were we chosen to be part of the team, but the other four members of the team are peers from our school,” said older brother, Damien. Pupils in Grades 8-11 all over the country took part in the nationally acclaimed Olympiad in a bid to secure a spot in the national science team and subsequently earn South African Colours.

“We’ve been training for this since last year, so we can’t just attribute it to being smart, it’s really the hard work that paid off,” added the carefree Damien.

According to their mother, Judy, the boys wrote several past papers last year in preparation for this year’s Olympiad. “Yes, my boys may be gifted but they are also very committed to their work. They attend school on Saturdays, which is a norm at their school, but they also push themselves to be the best that they can be,” she said.

Being sons of teachers, one would naturally assume that the two boys were constantly pushed by their parents to be over-achievers but it’s the boys that ultimately want to excel in all they do.

“We attended Northdene Preparatory School and that pretty much gave us the best academic foundation one could ask for, but when we were ready for high school we told our parents which school we would like to attend and worked hard to earn scholarships,” said Damien.

The two boys, who also happen to be in the KZN chess team since 2009 say they regard themselves as normal teenagers. “We chill with friends, listen to EDM, better known as electro dance music, dubstep and go paint-balling. My brother and I fight a lot too, so yes I guess we’re normal, ” added Keaton.

Forty other countries will be represented in the international Olympiad which will consist of three sections namely: multiple choice, theory and practicals. “There is huge pressure on us from our teachers to do well as a guy in the team was part of last year’s team but we are also confident as we have worked hard over the past several months,” said Damien.

Although this is the first time the boys will be going overseas they understand that this is not a holiday but rather a working trip with long term rewards.

“Taking part in this Olympiad gets us recognition from the universities we would one day like to attend. It also gives us a better chance at getting scholarships from various companies and that will take the pressure off our parents. We’re not going there to have fun, we are going there to secure a better future for ourselves and a spot at UCT, ” said a determined Damien.

Both boys hope to study chemical engineering or actuarial science at UCT. “As I always say, he is 15 going on 25,” added a visibly pleased Judy.