Tahuna Intermediate literally top of competition
WHEN you have half a dozen pupils who can read the entire Hunger Games trilogy of books in as little as three days, it is not surprising Tahuna Normal Intermediate pupils have won the Otago Kids’ Lit Quiz for the third year in a row.
Coach Mike Jenkinson was proud of the school’s record in the competition, but was doubly delighted at the results when he learnt teams from Tahuna had won the competition and come runnerup.
Tahuna B won the competition and Tahuna C was runnerup. Balmacewen Intermediate was third.
‘‘To get first and second in the competition doesn’t happen often.
‘‘It was a pretty good battle between second and third place — between us and Balmacewen.’’
Mr Jenkinson said Tahuna A was eighth in the competition, and he was seriously considering whether it would be possible to win all three podium spots in next year’s competition.
‘‘I must admit, getting three in the top eight was pretty good. I was surprised by that result.
‘‘But I don’t see any reason why it [winning first, second and third] couldn’t be done.
‘‘We don’t have any problems attracting pupils into a small room to share their ability with books.’’
The Kids’ Lit Quiz is for pupils aged 1013 years old.
Teams of four are asked to answer 100 questions on children’s literature, divided into 10 categories, which vary each year.
Mr Jenkinson said the questions in the quiz could be quite obscure.
‘‘Sometimes the question might be as obscure as, what is Paddington Bear’s favourite morning drink?
‘‘They not only have to know what the story is about, they also have to fall in love with the characters and live their lives to a degree, with its fictional fantasy.
‘‘It’s all about the details.’’ Tahuna Team B pupils Charlotte Camp, Louisa Franklyn, Emily Gray and Alex Moore will now represent the Otago region at the national finals on May 27, in Wellington.
And if they win the national final, they will compete against the national winners from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States in the world final of the competition.
The quiz was founded by New Zealand quizmaster Wayne Mills.
john.lewis@odt.co.nz