Portage Collegiate students are off on Monday to the provincial competition in the national Reach For The Top high school quiz program, after finishing first in their tier.

"It's pretty much like High School Jeopardy, but we don't have to give the answers in the form of a question," says grade 12 student and team member Michael Bartinksi. "And it's just a little less intense than what you see on TV. We're going to provincials next Monday for this. Hopefully, we do well. We go to the more outreach schools and then in Provincials we're going up against Winnipeg's St. John's-Ravenscourt -- the prestigious schools there. So, it'll be a bit of a change."

Grade 11 student Abigail Wilson says they use a specialty form of strategy with each of the other team members focusing on a different category while she takes the more random questions.

Coach Peter Saunders adds it's hard work, and the questions range from mathematics to Greek mythology, and everything in between.

"It really is a general knowledge test," he notes. "They practice once a week. So, all of those bits of information they pick up from what they're learning in their classes here at PCI are applied in a fun way. They get to visit other schools and meet other students."