Skip to content

Time Traveller: Were you ever a contestant on Reach for the Top?

The popular televised high school quiz show was first shown on CBC Vancouver
Reach fo the Top

This photo shows North Vancouver Senior Secondary and Burnaby South contestants on the local TV show Reach for the Top circa 1975. Reach for the Top (also known simply as Reach) is a Canadian academic quiz competition for high school students. 

The televised series was developed locally and was first shown on CBUT (CBC Vancouver) in 1961. Terry Garner (pictured here) was the host and quizmaster for the Vancouver show from 1961 to 1982.

Proving to be very popular, Reach for the Top went nationwide in 1965. Bill Guest (originally the Winnipeg host) was the host and quizmaster for the National Finals on CBC TV from 1969 to 1985.

Génies en herbe was the French language equivalent of Reach for the Top. It aired on Radio-Canada from 1973 to 1997.

Although it is no longer aired on CBC, Reach for the Top continues today as an academic quiz competition for high school students around the country, airing via the internet.

Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to learn about MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver opening in Fall 2021.

Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver at 3203 Institute Rd. in Lynn Valley is open by appointment only. Contact: [email protected]

Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.