The biggest school quiz in the Channel Islands is back this autumn bringing together the brightest young minds.
Each year has a different theme; last year it was “around the world” and this year’s theme is all about “discovery”.
The De Putron Challenge has seen continued growth since it was first introduced in 2007 with just five Guernsey schools. Last year more than 50 Channel Island schools took part and this year organisers anticipate another big entry. There will be three separate contests for each school year group (Year 6, Year 8 and Post-16). Each school will go through several heats before reaching the final. The three winning schools then go on to compete in the inter-island final which will be held in Guernsey at the Old Government House hotel on Tuesday 27 November.
BBC Guernsey news reporter John Fernandez is once again the De Putron Challenge’s quizmaster and will put the teams through their paces following a similar format to University Challenge. The questions in the discovery round will be based on history, science and geography; other rounds include general knowledge, arts and literature as well as team rounds on sport, current affairs and words and maths.
New to the Guernsey Post-16 Challenge last year was the technology round which this year will also be introduced to the Post-16 Challenge in Jersey and the Year 8 age group in both islands. This team-based round will challenge teams to write a computer coding programme to safely navigate a Lego EV3 robot through a maze using Lego’s own programming tools and an inbuilt Gyro sensor. The fastest and most accurate robot to complete the course wins valuable points for the team. The De Putron Challenge organisers will have the technical support and equipment from Digital Greenhouse (in Guernsey) and Digital Jersey on the day.
Hayley de Putron, a trustee of the Ana Leaf Foundation and founder of the De Putron Challenge, said: “The popularity of the De Putron Challenge has been phenomenal. Having outgrown our Jersey venue we have moved this year to the Jersey Royal Showground giving schools the option to bring along as many supporters as they would like. The thrill of watching all the cheering supporting faces is delightful – they create a tremendous atmosphere.”
The De Putron Challenge encourages everyone to take part. Schools hold their own internal quizzes to determine who will represent their year and then most schools bring along their whole class, friends and family members on the day to support.
“The whole aim of the event is to help develop young minds. That is why after each challenge we ask schools for their feedback which we try to accommodate and build upon each time to make the event more enjoyable and rewarding for everyone. Schools were keen for us to introduce a few more problem-solving team rounds which we hope we’ve achieved this year,” said Mrs de Putron.
The Guernsey De Putron Challenge will be held on Wednesday 7 November at St James Concert Hallstarting with the Year 6 event at 9.30 a.m. until 12.00 p.m. followed by the Year 8 event which starts at 2.30 to 3.45 pm and then closes with the Post-16 event from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m.
The Jersey De Putron Challenge will be held on Tuesday 13 November at The Royal Jersey Showground with the Year 6 event at 9.30 a.m. until 12.30 p.m. followed by the Year 8 event which starts at 2.30 to 4.20pm and then closes with the Post-16 event from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. All spectators are welcome.
The inter-island final (Tuesday 27 November) will be live-streamed for those people who are unable to attend on the day: links to this will be posted on the De Putron Challenge’s official social media channels.
