Afrikaans Spelling Bee hosted by Hazeldene Primary draws local schools

Hazeldene Primary School hosted the Afrikaans Spelling Bee, which is quickly gaining momentum as more schools want to participate. 

Hazeldene Primary, Rocklands Primary, and Strandfontein Primary competed on Tuesday, October 14, with plans for more schools to take part next year.

The initiative, now in its second year, was started by teachers Destiny Naiker from Hazeldene Primary and Abigail Jooste from Rocklands Primary. 

Ms Naiker said the spelling bee began as an in-house event at Hazeldene, initially involving only Grade 7 pupils. “This year, we added Grade 4s to give younger pupils the chance to participate. Our aim is to raise awareness of Afrikaans and help pupils build confidence in the language, even amidst the busy assessment period.”

Ms Jooste said the spelling bee was designed to be both educational and fun. 

“We wanted to create something engaging that also helps with the subject itself,” she said. “Our goal is to prepare pupils for competitions at higher levels, like the Stellenbosch competitions. This helps our pupils build their skills gradually and confidently.”

The competition is expected to expand, with schools such as Montagu Drive Primary expected to join next year.

Micah Abrahams, Grade 4 from Rocklands Primary, said: “I was well prepared because my teacher practiced with us both just before and after the holidays. Even during the holidays, I practiced my words aloud in my room. I love spelling, which is my favorite thing to do.”

Elijah Benting, Grade 4 from Strandfontein Primary, said: “I have a lot of experience in spelling bees because I’ve been participating since Grade 1. My favorite word to spell was besluit.”

Allegresse Famba, Grade 7 from Hazeldene Primary, said: “Afrikaans is not my first language, but I have a favorite word I like to spell - inligtings organiseerders.”