On Thursday June 3rd, 29 teams of eager spellers from Years 7-10 took on the challenge of the 2021 ‘ODT Extra!’ Spelling Quiz.

Held online for the first time via the Education Perfect platform, this year’s competition saw an increased level of participation, featuring nearly 570 primary, intermediate and junior secondary school teams from as far north as Kerikeri and as far south as Tokanui, all vying for a national title in their age group. 

With rounds including general spelling, proofreading, word origins and abbreviations, two Columba College teams garnered placings in the Years 9-10 category: Columba College 26 (Frankie McAuliffe, Jess Mundy and Alyssa Duthie) finished first equal with John McGlashan College on 100 points, with Columba College 27 (Tessa Smith, Poppy Edmond and Natalie McDonald) rounding out the Top 3 on 98 points. 

Congratulations to all competitors, and a hearty thanks to Mrs Cheyne, Mr Corbishley, Miss Richardson and Mr Saul Moore for helping this new online competition run smoothly.