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By Jamie Melbourne
Four Wellesley College boys faced-off against the country?s top young literately brass in Auckland last week, debunking the ?boys don?t read myth?, and just missing out on a trip to the World Finals in Johannesburg, South Africa. The college?s KidzLit team finished second at the finals, and included Harvey Henderson, Hugo Humphreys, Oliver Powell and Ben Stewart. Wellesley College librarian Jane Kent coached the literacy team leading up to the tournament, and says the final round of questions was a real step up from regional rounds. ?The final questions were much longer, and in difficult formats. ?They would begin with; ?an author born in France in 1815 who studied at the grand French Academy??, and they would go on like that until a team buzzed in the answer,? she says. Ms Kent says the team had some very strong points such as author knowledge, but that being an all-boys team made the going tough. ?It?s mainly a disadvantage because girls read more widely, they are likey to read all ?boys books?, but the boys really don?t read ?girls books?. ?The kids are really into modern literature, and an author going around the whole school at the moment is Robert Muchamore,? says Ms Kent. Wellesley College Principal Warren Owen says he is particularly pleased the team did so well as they were one of only two all-boy teams. ?You know how they talk about the state of boys reading; well this result is just great. ?The questions can have a gender bias so a mixed team is always better to have,? he says. Staff at the school has worked hard to create an enthusiasm for reading and have developed a strong tradition of promoting a love of reading, says Mr Owen. ?Fifteen teams from Whangarei Intermediate in the North to James Hargest in the South were competing to be the New Zealand team to compete in the World Finals in Johannesburg.? Mr Owen says after the first three rounds, Wellesley was in fourth equal place, but the last two rounds, ?Authors? and ?Myths and Legends? were strong topics for the boys. ?They ended up a clear second behind the winning team; Belmont Intermediate from the North Shore. ?It was an outstanding achievement from an all boys team, as 90% of the teams were mixed, with the girls answering the majority of the questions,? he says.
