SPAR SCHOOL STARS 2026

Promising dancer Hanna van den Barselaar-Smith recently achieved gold in ballet, contemporary, lyrical and open categories at the Durban IDO competition.

The Grade 7 pupil at Ashton International College Ballito also received the highest scoring junior and the judges’ choice award. Hanna’s performances qualified her for Team South Africa.

Matthew Viriah recently competed against some of the best young chess minds on the continent at the 17th African Youth Chess Championships in Entebbe, Uganda, where he finished an impressive 15th out of 169 players.

Held under the auspices of the African Chess Confederation, the African Youth Chess Championships is one of the continent’s premier youth chess events, bringing together top young players from across Africa. This year’s edition was fiercely competitive, and Matthew represented South Africa with distinction.

The Umhlali Prep Grade 4 pupil’s success has continued with his selection to compete at the Commonwealth Chess Championships in Sri Lanka later this year.

At just 10 years old, Reddam House Ballito Grade 4 pupil Robert Hall is proving that innovation has no age limit.

Driven by his love of technology and a desire to make a positive impact on the world, Robert recently participated in a robotics competition that challenged pupils to design and build a robot addressing one or more of the

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Over the past two months, Robert spent countless hours outside the classroom developing his project from start to finish. Working independently, he designed, built and coded a robot called The Smart Kid

Crosser, aimed at helping solve real-world challenges through technology.
What began as an effort to support a single SDG soon grew into something much bigger. Through creative thinking and careful planning, Robert’s robot ultimately aligned with three of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting its potential to contribute to a safer, more sustainable future.

The project was not without challenges. Robert had to learn new coding skills, troubleshoot technical problems and test multiple versions of his design before reaching the final product. His perseverance and willingness to learn played a key role in the project’s success.

“Robert’s commitment to this project has been exceptional,” said his teacher, Shikhar Singh.

“He invested significant time and effort outside the classroom and showed remarkable independence in bringing his vision to life. We are incredibly proud of his achievement and the way he has embraced innovation as a tool for positive change.”

Crawford International North Coast Preparatory pupil Micah Jainarain (8) claimed first place in the U10 division at the two-day eThekwini Chess Champs held in Durban.

This marks another milestone in an impressive chess journey that began just last year when the Grade 2 pupil first took up the game. His rapid rise through the ranks saw him finish second in KZN, earning selection to represent the province at the Mzansi Inter-Provincial Chess Championships in Port Elizabeth.

Micah’s success continued into 2026 when he was awarded his provincial colours in February. The following month, he was selected to compete at the South African Chess Championship in the North West Province.

Crawford International North Coast Grade 10 pupil Quinn Rees has been selected to represent KwaZulu-Natal in the Two-Star Pairs team at the South African Vaulting Championships. The event will take place at the Kyalami Park Indoor Arena in Gauteng from September 24 to 27.

Curro Salt Rock Grade 8 pupil Katie Adlam has been selected for the KwaZulu-Natal U17 netball team and will represent the province at the prestigious South African Schools Netball (SASN) All Ages Tournament.

Haydn McClure recently won first place in the Colour Choice category and Best of Show at the Photographic Society of America Youth Showcase for his photograph, Little Bee.

The Grade 11 pupil at Ashton International College Ballito saw his image selected from worldwide submissions, earning him a US$300 cash prize.

The photograph (featured on the Courier’s front page on June 5) will also be exhibited at the International Youth Showcase Photo Festival in Las Vegas from September 16-19.