Congratulations to Madison Sugrue, Molly Gallagher and Ruby Grigsby, all year nine students, for being chosen to participate in the new Brain Busters TV Series on TVNZ.

Our year nines have started this year with a bang with one personal achievement after another. From winning conservation competitions to sports awards, the year nines can now add stardom to their repertoire. As of today Roncalli has become the happy host of three exceptionally talented year nines who have all competed in the new Brain Busters series on TVNZ.

In the show, four Kiwi students, years eight to nine, ‘compete in a series of increasingly tricky challenges involving maths, memory, spelling and more - working towards the ultimate test of smarts and stamina.’ It is a gueling competition in which the contestants are kept on their toes and only the best comes out on top.

Madison Sugrue, recent winner of the Timaru District Library Competition (Ages 13-15) for her Covid-19 Poem titled Lockdown (published in the Herald and the Courier), was the first of our year nine students to take the stage on this heart pounding new show. Although coming up short at second place, she said the competition was “definitely worth it” as it was “a fun day where I met new people and did some interesting things.”

Madison was followed closely by a fellow year nine student, Molly Gallagher. A top student and animal lover (17 pets), Molly swept two of her competitors out of the water and came in first in her group going into the obstacle course. After a nail-biting race, Molly ended the show with a win and left with a tidy sum of $210. Molly loves the “fluffy pajamas” she bought with part of her winnings and claims that this was one of the “best moments of my life.”