All systems go for quiz finals

MEMBERS of the public are encouraged to be at the Baxter Theater tomorrow where the top eight teams in this year’s Cape Argus Food Lover’s Market High Schools Quiz will slug it out to be crowned champions. The free event is expected to start at about 11.30am.

In semi-final one are South Peninsula High Team C, Maitland High Team B, Vista High Team A, and Sibelius High Team C. In semi-final two are South Peninsula High Team A, Rhodes High Team B, Steenberg High Team A, and Maitland High Team C.

Sibelius High School’s Team C summed up the emotion best when asked about the semi-finals. “Overwhelmed with excitement,” said Laaiqah Abrahams.

One person extremely proud of the school’s achievement is the team’s co-ordinator, Enrico Hartman, responsible for launching the quiz at Sibelius High. “We’ve only been in the quiz for three years now, and after (competing for) a short time like this, I’m very, very proud.

“Words cannot explain it. I don’t have enough adjectives at the moment to describe how proud we are, but the school is very proud of them,” he said.

The teams still in the 10th Cape Argus Food Lover’s Market High Schools Quiz are hoping to bag R35 000 for their school by winning the final. Each member of the victorious team will receive R3 000. Also up for grabs are two bursaries from the Community Chest. Good Hope FM has also come aboard as this year’s radio partner for the competition, with the station’s Nigel Pierce the quizmaster for the last rounds.

“The Cape Argus Food Lover’s Market High Schools Quiz is one of my favourite MC/quizmaster gigs ever,” Pierce said.

“We all learn from this great concept and long may it continue. More importantly, it encourages everyone to read, gather and store information.”

This year will mark the first time that the top two teams in the Cape Argus Food Lover’s Market High Schools Quiz will go on to compete in the National High School Quiz.

The National High School Quiz finals take place on September 27, and will be held in Johannesburg at the Varsity College Sandton Campus.

The national winners will earn the title of National High School Quiz champions, bag R20 000 for their school and R5 000 for each team member, and R5 000 for the team’s educator or coach.