Local quiz popular nationally

ODT Extra! marketing manager Jeff Paterson and Education Perfect (EP) online events manager...
ODT Extra! marketing manager Jeff Paterson and Education Perfect (EP) online events manager Olivia Young run the ODT Extra! online spelling quiz from EP’s Dunedin office yesterday. PHOTOS: LINDA ROBERTSON
It used to be about winning bragging rights with other schools in the region.

But now that the ODT Extra! spelling quiz has been opened up to the entire country, the level of competitiveness among pupils has skyrocketed.

Nearly 570 primary, intermediate and junior secondary school teams (about 1700 years 5-10 pupils) competed in the newly established online competition yesterday, from as far north as Kerikeri and as far south as Tokanui, all vying for a national title in their age group.

But the increased competition failed to stop Dunedin schools winning most of the prizes yesterday.

The years 5-6 category was jointly won by Fendalton Open Air School No1 and Avonhead School No2 (both of Christchurch, 99 points) and third was George Street Normal School No3 (Dunedin, 95 points).

Competing in the years 7-8 ODT Extra! online spelling quiz are Tahuna Intermediate School pupils ...
Competing in the years 7-8 ODT Extra! online spelling quiz are Tahuna Intermediate School pupils (from left) Rupert Lublow-Catty (11), Alexander Hattrell (12) and Charles Reid (12).
The years 7-8 category was won by Tahuna Intermediate No1 (Dunedin, 104 points); second was Cobham Intermediate No5 (Christchurch, 102 points); and third was Arthur Street School No2 (Dunedin, 101 points).

In the years 9-10 category it was a clean sweep by Dunedin schools, John McGlashan College No14 and Columba College No26 finishing first-equal (100 points) and Columba College No27 third (98 points).

The Otago Daily Times has been running the competition since 2003 and, historically, it was held as a series of age-group competitions across several regions in Otago and South Canterbury.

But since Allied Press, publisher of the ODT, and Dunedin digital educator Education Perfect (EP) teamed up earlier this year, the competition has gone digital and was run online from EP’s Dunedin office.

EP online events manager Olivia Young said now it was an online competition, teams from across the country could join in, making it a national event.

This year, significantly more participants had entered the competition than previously, she said.

The teams could see each other via a Zoom audiovisual link, and the quiz questions came in the form of a series of audio and visual files which asked pupils to carry out specific tasks.

which included spelling certain words, proof-reading exercises, and answering questions about abbreviations and the origins of words.

ODT Extra! marketing manager Jeff Paterson said feedback from schools was "overwhelmingly supportive".

"We are looking forward to presenting the ODT Extra! current events quiz in September, again with our Education Perfect partners."

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

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