Thursday the 6th of March – the day of the Wellington Lit Quiz. Both KNS teams meet in the makeshift library, next to the staff room, just before the bell signalling the start of the school day goes. Everyone’s excited as we do a practise quiz, before putting on raincoats and starting to make our way to Samuel Marsden, where this year’s quiz is being held.
When we arrive at the school, we head to the library building. We all put our bags onto shelves as we enter, before being ushered towards our seats.
One team is probably too excited about it all; they’re singing and chanting, while the other is being more sensible; they’re choosing the round that they want to score double points for.
Before long, it’s 10 o’clock, and the quiz is starting. Wayne Mills, the quizmaster, is introducing himself, and tension is rising. Everyone’s competitive, as they all want to win and go to the National Final in May.
Neither of our teams has the most amazing results in the first round, and no-one from KNS has won a Whitcoulls gift card from a question in either the adults nor the kids’ extra rounds.
Both teams carry on scoring relatively lowly until the Fantasy round, which Team B thinks they’re best at, and therefore has chosen to get double points on it.
In the sixth round, Team A tie with 15 other teams, so stand up – for a tiebreaker question, which they don’t get the chance to answer, as a different team has put their hands up with the correct answer first.
An hour or so later, it’s the final round, which Team A has chosen to double up on. Its Realms, which they’ve decided is their forte.
Then, when the round has finished and the answers have been read out, Wayne starts to talk about the World Final. How it’s in Toronto, Canada this year, and that whoever wins the National Finals in May would get to enjoy a one-week holiday there, going to Canada’s 150th ‘birthday party’, having a trip to Niagara Falls, meeting authors and seeing a show. Everyone is now more excited than ever to hear who’s come first and now, the quizmaster has announced that there is going to be a tiebreaker for second place. Both KNS teams know that they haven’t a hope in ranking, so get ready to politely applaud whoever has tied second highest, but are shocked when Wayne calls out ‘Karori Normal, Team A’. They stand up, overjoyed, and ready to think of the answer to the question. One of Wellesley’s teams is the other competitor – a tough opponent, as their school had won the world final last year. The question is quite difficult – the quizmaster is reading part of one of Hans Christian Andersen’s works, and the teams have to identify what it’s called. The quizmaster is half way through reading the passage, when a member of the Wellesley team throws their hand up, answering proudly and correctly. Both teams sit down before KNS Team A is told to come up to the front to be awarded their prize for coming third.
Wayne hands each of the four members of the team a crisp ten dollar note shakes their hands, and sends them back to their seats, before announcing that Wellesley Team B has come in second place, and finally that Wellesley Team A has won the heat.
Both KNS teams have photos taken with the quizmaster, before we leave to go back to our own school, having all had an awesome experience at the Lit Quiz.
I wrote this for the school newsletter, having been part of KNS Team A.