SECOND ROUND OF QUIZ A CLOSE RACE – PICTURES
Team from Edenvale High School just manage to clinch second round victory
THE SECOND round of the The Star High Schools Quiz, sponsored by Varsity College, was a close race for five teams that qualified for the regional contest.
Team two from Edenvale High School narrowly beat the other 13 teams, from Future Nation School in Lyndhurst; Parktown Girls’ High School in Parktown; Rand Tutorial College in Observatory; St Martin’s School in Rosettenville; Veritas College in Springs; White House College in Newtown; and Woodlands International College in Boksburg when they grabbed first place by only one point after 40 questions.
The Parktown Girls’ High School team one was closely followed by the Veritas College team one, White House College team two and Woodlands International College team one. Separated by a single point, these five teams have secured a place in the regional final on September 1.
The finals scores of the five teams between 27 and 23 points proved that the learners did their homework, but need to work harder to improve and get the top prizes in the regional and national competitions.
The quiz continued at the premises of Future Nation School, with 13 teams participating. A third round will be held at Lotus School of Excellence in Lenasia.
The second round of the competition included performances from the learners participating. Six boys and girls shook off their nerves and showcased their star quality with singing, rapping, dancing, beat-boxing and stand-up comedy.
A schoolgirl from Future Nation proved she could imitate Rihanna by singing Love on the Brain, while another girl from Rand Tutorial College sang Susan by the loved South African a cappella group, The Soil. The pupils found the entertainment and business questions the most difficult, but breezed through the sport and general knowledge questions.
A Grade 11 learner from Edenvale High School, Ashley Nyamadzawo, said his team’s victory was owing to a collective effort by putting their heads together and scoring 27 out of 40.
“The entertainment section was the hardest because it was quite small, and we thought it wasn’t as important, but it turned out to be quite difficult. The sports section was the best because we’re all sports fans, so it was great,” he said. A Grade 11 pupil from Parktown Girls’, Kelly Mitchell, said they were shocked by their 26 score and didn’t expect to go through to the regionals.
“The entertainment category was really hard for us because we didn’t see half of those questions in the newspaper,” she said.
The audience, which included teachers and other learners, also got the opportunity to test their knowledge and win prizes. They were asked the same questions as the pupils participating.
The first person to race onto the stage and call out the correct answer won prizes with merchandise from Independent Media.
Teacher Patson Ngidi and Grade 11 pupil Thabo Ntsepe from Veritias College walked away with a prizes, as did Parktown Girls’ deputy headmistress Judy Koch.
The contest is part of the Independent Media National High School Quiz being run simultaneously with the Pretoria News, the Daily News in Durban and the Cape Argus.
The national winner will take home the National High School Quiz title, R20 000 for their school, R2 000 for each team member and R2 000 for their team coach.
There are also prizes for the runners-up, and a bursary for a deserving candidate.
@Chulu_M