Young spellers shine at Mitchell’s Plain's annual spelling bee

Hillside Primary School recently held its fourth annual spelling bee, joined by pupils from Wavecrest Primary and Westville Primary.

The event, held at Rocklands Library on Wednesday, June 25, was organised by Hillside Primary teacher Abigail Cloete, who works closely with the library to bring the competition to life each year.

Ms Cloete said the words are carefully selected from the grade 1 to grade 3 Life Skills curriculum. 

“We also choose a 'word of the week' and highlight it during assembly,” she said.

“Each participating school holds its own internal spelling bee, and then the top pupils compete against each other.”

She said the competition has had a positive effect.

“We’ve seen how it pushes and motivates the pupils. While some might find spelling boring, presenting it in a fun and competitive way really excites them and helps them learn better.”

Taking top honours and the winners this year were Ilyaz Hamza from Hillside Primary in Grade 1, Xavier Pretorius from Wavecrest Primary in Grade 2, and Iphendulwe Mene from Westville Primary in Grade 3.

Illyaz shared with the Plainsman that he first won the spelling bee at his school, which qualified him for Wednesday’s event.

Xavier, who impressed the audience with his confident spelling, said that he “got the words right.

Iphendulwe said she mostly enjoyed the experience of spelling.

The adjudicators for the event were Roscoe Williams, Read to Rise programme manager for Mitchell’s Plain, and Carol Titus, Western Cape provincial coordinator for Nal’ibali.

Read to Rise is a South African non-profit organisation that promotes youth literacy by providing books and reading programmes to children in under-resourced communities.

Nal’ibali is a South African reading-for-enjoyment campaign that encourages children to develop a love for stories and reading in their home languages.

Mr Williams described the final round as “nail-biting,” and said it was wonderful to see young pupils come together in this way.

“Events like these boost academic skills, vocabulary and reading. We encourage all schools to take part, and we hope next year’s spelling bee is even bigger.”

Margret Malikebu, a parent from Khayelitsha who attended, said her daughter has gained confidence since joining the spelling bee. “She’s more outgoing and eager to learn,” she said.

Ms Titus added that the spelling bee showcased the value of reading, even in township communities.

“It’s inspiring to see how parents, schools and even local libraries get involved. It’s a proud moment for us.”