Oakhill has the great quiz whizzes

KNYSNA NEWS - Local schools were exposed to world-class mastery at this year's Kids' Lit Quiz, hosted by Oakhill School on 17 February.

This quiz is an annual international literature competition for children aged 10 to 13 years old.

Developed by New Zealander Wayne Mills, the competition puts readers onto a stage and lets them compete for fantastic prizes.

Since the quiz began in 1991, it has spread across the world, with various national competitions held annually in New Zealand, the UK, South Africa, Canada, the US, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Each country hosts regional competitions which culminate in these annual national events. The winning teams are then invited to compete in the Kids' Lit Quiz World Final.

Quizmaster Mills reads all current children's books and creates the entire quiz himself. He is a wealth of knowledge, and teachers and parents eagerly scribble down notes of recommended books as he exclaims, 'Another one to read before Easter!' As Mills travels around the world quizzing school children, he spreads excitement and the love of literature wherever he goes.

This year, five local schools attended the regional competition at Oakhill School – Plett Primary, Riverwood, Glenwood House and Greenwood Bay. As the nine teams of four members each battled it out, the excitement mounted – there was much at stake as each team eagerly aimed for a place at the nationals in Johannesburg at the end of the month, and then a chance at the World Final in New Zealand in July.

After some nailbiting moments, Oakhill was thrilled to have won the regional Kids' Lit Quiz for the third year in a row! Congratulations to the winning team of Jemima Wilcox-Jones, Mia Guccio, Anjuli Taplin and Tatum Logan who achieved top spot with 85 points, while runners-up Greenwood Bay earned 76 points. Plett Primary was a close third with 75 points, and Oakhill's second team ended fourth with 70.5 points.

The Garden Route leg of the Kids' Lit Quiz takes place every year in February and all English schools in the area are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to participate. Our region is very privileged to be included as the smallest area among all the big cities of South Africa.

Oakhill's winning team Tatum Logan, Mia Guccio, Anjuli Taplin, and Jemima Wilcox-Jones, with quizmaster Wayne Mills.