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Home  >  Blog  >  Starter for Ten

Starter for Ten

Trish Burgess Posted on03/02/201107/04/2016 Teenagers 14 Comments

The scrunched up bit of paper at the bottom of my son’s school bag said:

I’m writing to confirm that your son has been invited to participate in the Senior Schools Challenge on Tuesday 1 February.

This was a “University Challenge” style quiz being held in a rather smart independent school, Nottingham High School, with invited teams from Lincolnshire, including the Grammar schools in Boston, Sleaford, Grantham and Spalding. Each of the two teams from Rory’s school consisted of two pupils from the Sixth form and two from Year 10/11. The competition didn’t start until 3.45pm so a minibus was taking them, leaving at just before 2pm.

I had no idea how long the event would last so packed his bag with plenty of sandwiches, crisps and drinks. I needn’t have bothered as Rory had managed to buy a steak bake from Greggs before he got on the bus and the host school provided a fabulous buffet with “cheesy nachos and chicken things and stuff” according to my lad.

He returned home just before 10pm that night, having lost quite spectacularly but full of excitement about how great the day had been. Far from the normal monosyllabic grunts, Rory entertained us with tales from the day: the extremely clever boy on one team who was so fast on the buzzer Rory’s team were 100 points down after ten minutes, how Rory was very chuffed with his answers “oesophagus” and “palaeontology” and how they’d decided if there were any classical music questions they would just say “Beethoven” (it worked!)

The best answer of the day, however, belonged to Rory’s best pal who buzzed in with this corker:

“Who was Nadezhda Alliluyeva married to?”

“Erm….Paris Hilton?”

“No….Joseph Stalin”.

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14 Comments

  1. Very Bored in Catalunya Reply
    03/02/2011 at 9:37 am

    Did the posh Notts boys win out?

  2. Trish @ Mum's Gone to... Reply
    03/02/2011 at 9:47 am

    Very Bored – I'm not sure who won in the end: Spalding left before the final!! I think it was Sleaford who had the really brainy kid in their team.

  3. Kelloggsville Reply
    03/02/2011 at 10:11 am

    Sleaford v Splading really doesn't have the same ring as Cambridge v Oxford does it! Brilliant that he was so enthused, isn't it great when they can't stop talking when something good happens. and hats off to the organisers for giving them the opportunity.

  4. Trish @ Mum's Gone to... Reply
    03/02/2011 at 10:26 am

    Kelloggsville – they had done no preparation at all, not even to see who should make the team, so we weren't surprised that they lost. What did surprise us was the fun he got out of it – we couldn't shut him up!

  5. Sarah Reply
    03/02/2011 at 10:34 am

    Good thing you found the scrunched up bit of paper before 1 Feb and not after!

    Sounds like a fun event and well done that young man for being chosen to participate!

  6. TheMadHouse Reply
    03/02/2011 at 10:40 am

    It is great that the school in the area managed to get something that exciting the children, whilst helping with their learning. I guess that Lad will never answer Paris H to that question ever again. Oh and I want cheesy nacho chiking things too

  7. Trish @ Mum's Gone to... Reply
    03/02/2011 at 12:31 pm

    Sarah – I know! I always have a good root about in the bag: amazing what you find. And yes, he was chuffed to be picked – not sure how they decided but he was happy!

    The Mad House – Great idea wasn't it. Great for my boy who is so unsporty he never gets the opportunity to compete with other schools in anything.

  8. Steve Reply
    03/02/2011 at 1:00 pm

    Nadezhda Alliluyeva with Paris Hilton? Now there's a YouTube video I'd love to see!

  9. Expat mum Reply
    03/02/2011 at 5:29 pm

    I love the fact that they had prepped with the Beethoven answer! Too funny!

  10. EmmaK Reply
    03/02/2011 at 5:42 pm

    Nadezhda Alliluyeva …never heard of her…and i'm (barely) over thirteen

  11. libby Reply
    03/02/2011 at 5:42 pm

    Isn't it great when they are enthusiastic about something and happy to tell you all? and what is it with boys and Greggs steak bakes??

  12. Tattie Weasle Reply
    03/02/2011 at 7:04 pm

    What a brilliant idea though I think I might have been looking at ways of taking the brainy boy out… with a Greggs Steak bake perhaps???

  13. MadameSmokinGun Reply
    05/02/2011 at 2:13 am

    Ahhh – I thought the answer was Toxteth O'Grady…..

  14. Wylye Girl Reply
    05/02/2011 at 10:02 am

    The bottom of the school bag is always a little goldmine isn't it? Important letters from school with requiring answers before a certain date (usually 2 months previously), the letters you'd sent into school volunteering for something (usually 3 months previously!). Well done to Rory to be picked for his school team and if it's any consolation, I didn't know who Stalin was married to either!

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