A team from Roncalli College has proved it is the master of current events.
The team beat 61 others from throughout the Central South Island to win the years 9 and 10 Otago Daily Times Extra! Quiz, held at the Timaru Boys' High School hall yesterday afternoon.
Made up of pupils Ben Crawford, Therese Styles and Jack Stickings, the team earned 95 points out of a possible 100 in the quiz. They were followed closely by Darfield High School which was second with 92 points and Mt Hutt College, with 91 points.
Quiz co-ordinator and Extra! editor Ivan Behrnes said the competition had attracted an excellent response from all schools in the central South Island.
Meanwhile, the winning team members admitted being surprised with their placing.
"I really can't believe it," Therese said.
The trio said one particular question had been challenging.
"The 'Who Am I?' question which had Peter Bethune as the answer was a bit of a struggle," Ben said.
The team's organiser, Roncalli College head of social sciences Robyn Gillies, said she was very proud of the team.
"I had very high hopes for them."
Pupils from Darfield through to Waitaki Girls' High School competed in the 10-round competition, answering questions such as "Where are the next Olympics Games being held?", and identifying international flags. One round required contestants to read through the ODT to answer questions.
The event was run by the ODT through its Newspapers in Education publication Extra!.
The Otago section of the quiz will be held in Dunedin next term, followed by the Christchurch quiz which was postponed due to the Canterbury Earthquake.
- Story and photos by Rachael Comer. Photo prints available from otagoimages.co.nz.
