Learners from Highveld Muslim School, Osizweni Primary School, Sasolia Primary School, Thistle Grove Combined School, Emdibini Primary School and Kinross Primary School competed in the second annual Friends of the Thistle Grove Library Spelling Bee that was hosted at the Kinross Sasol Recreational Club on Wednesday, October 20.
Mr Witney Rasaka, chairman of The Friends of the Library, opened the competition with a moment of silence and afterwards explained the rules of the spelling bee to the learners and judges.
Learners were judged by Adv Tracy Keen-Horak, Ms Louise Saunders, Ms Nosipho Hlogwane, Ms Zika Makama of the Evander Library and Ms Thobile Mogale.
Due to the constraints of Covid-19, the spelling bee saw only learners from Grade 7 learners compete.
Mr Rasaka said there are hopes in the future to see learners from other grades being able to compete in this annual spelling bee competition and will hopefully see more schools taking part.
The first spelling bee that was hosted last year saw only three schools competing. This year a total of six schools competed with two additional schools falling out just before the competition.
“We need a literate environment where our children have the change to express themselves and understand that they can have a better future ahead of them,” said Mr Rasaka.
“We encourage them to use bigger words in their everyday lives and to carry them up until tertiary and to become a part of them. We don’t want our children to end up beyond tertiary and not know what an oxymoron is,” said Mr Rasaka.
He said organisers are hoping to do more than presenting spelling bee’s a year, however it all depends on sponsorship which they purely rely on.
“Spelling is the mother of what we are wanting to do. We are looking into public speaking and debating for next year.
“We want to show our children that there is more to learning than just through books and that there are other methods to learn as well,” concluded Mr Rasaka.
The winner’s trophy of this year’s Friends of the Thistle Grove Library Spelling Bee went to Highveld Muslim School.
They were followed by second place winners Sasolia Primary School and third place Thistle Grove Combined School.
