Paterson High scoops The Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz

Northern areas school eclipses Nico Malan in finals after excelling in every round

The final of the 2022 Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday with Paterson High School winning the competition. From left are teacher Anusuya Soundarajan, principal Rose de Doncker, Iviwe Poti from Isuzu, Erin Strydom,15, Hamish Burdien,15, Rikyle Jordaan,15, Sivenathi Zantsi,15, and The Herald and Weekend Post editor Rochelle de Kock
WINNING TEAM: The final of the 2022 Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday with Paterson High School winning the competition. From left are teacher Anusuya Soundarajan, principal Rose de Doncker, Iviwe Poti from Isuzu, Erin Strydom,15, Hamish Burdien,15, Rikyle Jordaan,15, Sivenathi Zantsi,15, and The Herald and Weekend Post editor Rochelle de Kock
Image: WERNER HILLS

Paterson High School displayed unequivocal general knowledge mastery by winning the 2022 Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Gqeberha at the weekend.

The Schauderville school excelled in every round, sending defending champs Alexander Road High home in the quarterfinals last week, and beating Humansdorp’s Nico Malan 15-12 in the finals on Saturday. 

First-time quiz entrants Morningside High finished third and Riebeek College Girls’ High fourth. 

Paterson’s journey to the top began with a 14-10 semifinal win over Riebeek earlier on Saturday.

Nico Malan and Morningside’s semifinal was also closely contested, with the visitors securing their place in the finals by 14 points to 13.   

Paterson’s Hamish Bardien, Erin Strydom, Rikyle Jordaan and Sivenathi Zantsi, all 15 and in grade 10, were overwhelmed by their win. 

“I can’t describe the feeling,” Hamish said. 

“I thank God, our crew, teachers and principal, and everyone who supported us, including the community.

“We did this for the community.”

Rikyle said: “All four of us dreamt about winning and our dream came true.

“I firmly believe the universe conspired in our favour.”

Sivenathi said dedication, perseverance and patience got them the win.

“We sacrificed all our breaks and practised every day.”

Erin said mentoring teacher, English head of department Annu Soundarajan, had been their anchor.

The Herald and co-title sponsor Isuzu had distributed copies of the paper to every participating school to help them prepare. 

Soundarajan said the team were “a dedicated and wonderful bunch to work with”. 

A testament to this, she said, was that though their sponsored newspapers were stolen last week, they still won. 

“I’m so proud of them. The competition boosted their confidence,” Soundarajan said. 

“This win is going to boost the school’s morale and that of the northern areas, because we represented the northern areas here today [Saturday].” 

Nico Malan team members Juané Kritzinger, Juané Oosthuizen and Brady Rispel, all in grade 11, and Bulelwa Majola, grade 10, said the final was tense, and nerves at times got the better of them. 

“The moment you give one point away, that’s when you can lose it,” Rispel, 16, said. 

“But we’re proud of ourselves and we’re proud of them [Paterson].

“They deserved to win.” 

Kritzinger, 16, said Nico Malan had finished third in 2021, and, given their second place this time, the school hoped for a win next year. 

Morningside had sailed through every round with confidence, achieving the highest points tally of the semifinals and finals on Saturday when they beat Riebeek 16-12 for third place. 

This top team, the dark horse of the competition, was made up of grade 12 pupil Siyamthanda Yako, 18, grade 11s Sikhokele Mpulu, 16, and Ebube Onyeme, 17, and their secret weapon, grade 9 pupil Uwive Ntsali, 14, who was the youngest participant in the competition. 

Riebeek’s Amy Reed, Amahle Ntabeni, Candice Rossouw and Nobuhle Moyo, all in grade 12, described their playoff round against Morningside as nerve-racking. 

Questions covering local, national and international news, sport, politics, business and entertainment were compiled by quiz moderator Louise Liebenberg over eight weeks. 

Teams of four from across the Bay and Kouga regions competed in the quiz on weekends since May 14.

More than 120 pupils from 31 schools took part, with the quiz staged annually again for the first time in 2021 after a break of more than a decade. 

Well over 1,000 questions were asked, with prizes totalling more than R108,000.

The Herald and Weekend Post editor Rochelle de Kock applauded the top schools, giving special thanks to the mentoring teachers. 

“The level of competition between the schools has been top tier.

“From the quarterfinals to the finals, it was evident the learners had put a lot of time and effort into reading the newspapers every day.

“This competition is one that is important to us at The Herald because it puts all participating schools on an equal footing, giving them access to daily copies of the newspaper over a period of time.

“This is why the win by Paterson is so significant.

“These pupils don’t have all the school material and amenities that some privileged schools do, but they have dedicated teachers and pupils who are determined to do their best,” De Kock said.

“Thank you to the schools that participated.

“We hope to have even more schools taking part next year.

“And a special thank you to our sponsors for making this possible,” she added.

Isuzu corporate communications officer Iviwe Poti said the company was proud of every pupil who entered.

“This competition is a reminder of the important role education and knowledge play in moulding our futures.  

“Developing a culture of reading the newspaper and being aware of what is happening in the world around you is something no-one can take away from you.” 

Quizmaster Ian von Memerty, a past presenter of Strictly Come Dancing and judge of SA’s Got Talent, said the top four teams represented the best of the region. 

“We were so impressed by the study, teamwork and concentration put in.” 

The top three schools shared a R25,000 cash prize from Isuzu, with Paterson taking home R15,000 of this.

Other prizes included: 

  • Three months’ free LTE data with a MiFi device or three months’ free fibre internet connectivity from Axxess, valued at R14,000, to be shared among the winning team. 
  • Gift vouchers totalling R13,600 from Walmer Park Shopping Centre to be shared among the top three schools, as well as hampers to each pupil of the top three winning teams valued at a total of R3,600;
  • R3,000 cash from Pickwick Books for winning team Paterson, R2,000 for the second-placed Nico Malan; R1,500 for Morningside and R1,000 for fourth-placed Riebeek. Each team member from Paterson also received a R400 books voucher; 
  • First Choice hampers from Woodlands Dairy for every pupil in the round of 16, plus 12 hampers to the top three winning schools (total value R7,600); 
  • Breakfast, dinner and spa vouchers to the value of R4,880 from the Radisson Blu, shared among the top three schools (The Radisson was also the venue sponsor for the competition);  
  • Fuel vouchers totalling R7,000 from Caltex shared among the top three schools; and
  • A quiz hamper from The Herald for all entrants, as well as an additional hamper each for Paterson’s four winners (total prize value R13,200).

In addition, Bargain Books, as part of its ongoing The Herald Kids Reading Corner initiative, campaigned a book drive where books donated by the public, along with a R5,000 Bargain Books sponsorship, were handed over to the top three schools. 

HeraldLIVE


subscribe

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.