Reach for Dalhousie
Reach for Dalhousie is a competition for Atlantic Canada high school teams held at Dalhousie University in Halifax. It is held in late October/early November. Winners and runners-up receive scholarships to Dalhousie.
Format
Despite being similar in name to Reach for the Top, Reach for Dal bears little resemblance to the widespread competition. Teams of 3 are quizzed on a variety of subjects related to material taught in the university's programs using signaling devices similar to the "poll the audience" buttons on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? In other words, teams are not in a rush to buzz and win by earning the most correct answers on all the questions. Questions are multiple choice.
The opening round is held at computer workstations to seed the group for playoffs. In the playoffs, teams meet head-to-head, only needing to earn more correct answers than their opponent.
2004
The inaugural event was attended by 45 high schools in Nova Scotia - nearly the entire province. The 2005 Cobequid team (who went on to win Reach for the Top nationals) defeated Dartmouth in the final.
2005
Despite welcoming teams from New Brunswick, attendance dropped to 40 schools. Cobequid defeated Kennebecasis in the final.
2006
Teams from PEI attended in 2006, but attendance dropped again to 38 teams. A team from Dr. John Gillis beat Dartmouth in the final. 2007 Kennebecasis' third-place finish earned captain Morgan Gagnon $4000 in scholarships over his years of participation despite not winning.
2007
Teams from Newfoundland and Labrador were invited for 2007, but a dearth of New Brunswick teams saw attendance drop to 36. Auburn Drive, on their debut, defeated 2008 Kennebecasis in the final. Auburn Drive would later win Nova Scotia Reach provincials and represent the province at Nationals.
2008
Attendence dropped even further to 22 teams. Kennebecasis defeated Cobequid in the final. Kennebecasis and Cobequid would go on to represent New Brunswick and Nova Scotia respectively at the 2009 Reach for the Top Nationals.
2009
The event was not held as Dalhousie University focussed on its H1N1 preventative measures.