by Greta Yeoman
It was an evening of double success for Sacred Heart School pupils at the Otago Daily Times Extra! central South Island spelling quizzes last week.
The Timaru school won both the year 5-6 event and the year 7-8 competition, held at Timaru Boys’ High School on Wednesday last week.
Sacred Heart pupils Daniel Van Der Spuy, Maddy Green and Jed Fenwick placed first out of 25 teams after answering 98 out of 100 questions correctly.
It was not the first time the two boys had taken home medals from an Otago Daily Times Extra! quiz.
Daniel and Jed had been part of the winning year 5 and 6 general knowledge quiz last year, alongside schoolmate Christian McCambridge.
Four teams – from Gleniti, Long Beach, St Joseph’s Timaru and St Joseph’s Ashburton schools – had a 10-question spell-off to decide the third-placed team at the year 5-6 competition.
That placing eventually went to St Joseph’s Ashburton for its 87-point success, while a trio from Gleniti School claimed second place with 91 points.
Sacred Heart also went on to claim success later in the evening, after trio Chloe Gordon, Anastasia Burrell and Annie Henderson won the 31-team event, answering 81 out of 100 questions correctly.
They were closely followed by a two-team tie for second place, as groups from Gleniti School and St Joseph’s Timaru tied on 80 points.
It was then Ashburton’s turn for achievement on Thursday evening, as Ashburton College pupils finished first and third in the year 9-10 section.
Ashburton College pupils Conner Stewart, Marc Calzada and Hamish Lyth triumphed out of 15 teams, answering 95 out of 100 questions correctly.
Geraldine High School pupils Maia Mahuika, Saskia Finlayson-Hood and Christine Bendsen claimed second place, scoring a total of 93 points.
Another Ashburton College trio, consisting of Laura Jensen, Molly McKenna and Laura Winchester (all 13), was third with 88 points.
The young quiz masters will also have the chance to demonstrate their news knowledge when the Otago Daily Times Extra! general knowledge quizzes are held later in the year.
The Otago Daily Times Extra!is a monthly educational publication produced by the newspaper for senior primary, intermediate and junior secondary school pupils.
