The victorious Augusco team
St.
Augustine’s College from Cape Coast has won the 2019 National Science and
Mathematics Quiz (NSMQ) competition after a 12-year drought.
This
adds to the trophy they won in 2007, putting them at par with the likes of
Achimota School, Mfantsipim School and Opoku Ware Senior High School (OWASS) on
two trophies each.
The
Augusco boys, as they are popularly called, scored a total of 39 points to beat
two other strong contenders – both serial winners – after five rounds moderated
by Dr. Esi Kauffman, the Quiz Mistress.
Presbyterian
Boys Senior High School (Presec) in Accra was second with 36 points, while St.
Peter’s Senior High School (Persco) from Nkwatia-Kwahu had 25 points.
St.
Augustine’s College, in addition to having the bragging right and a trophy for
a year, was awarded with GH¢40,000, while the contestants and teachers got
GH¢20,000 each.
Augusco
team coordinator Isaac Adomako said they were in for the finals, “knowing that
we have to beat any opponent that comes our way.”
“We
have not won many trophies because we haven’t been doing some things right, but
we have learnt our lessons coming into the finals. Hard work has been our
secret weapon and we knew that we will be the victors by God’s
grace,” he said.
First
runner-up, Presec, that has won the contest five times, received GH¢30,000,
while the teachers and contestants got GH¢17,000 each.
Reigning
champions, St. Peters Senior High School, was awarded GH¢20,000 for its effort,
while the students and teachers got GH¢15,000 each as well.
The Journey
After
months of preparation, weeks of nail-biting contests and renewal of academic
rivalries, it all came down to the big event yesterday at the National Theatre
in Accra.
All
the three schools displayed a variety of skills and formidability in their
journey to the final.
Only
St Augustine’s came from the qualifiers to reach this stage. Presec-Legon and
St Peter’s were seeded from the 2018 competition because they reached the
quarter-final.
They approached questions bordering on any sphere of life with the same dexterity and brilliance with which they answered the complex science and maths questions during the quiz.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
