Rihano Juries, a learner of Dr GJ Joubert Primary School, is spelling his way to the provincial round of the annual Words Open Worlds (WOW) Spelling Festival after clinching first place among the Grade 2 contenders in the Metro East District competition.
The competition took place at Irista Primary School in Kuils River last month. Despite a slow start, Rihano managed to catch up with his competitors after initially trailing behind. This caused his teacher, Geronique Hess, immense stress, but she knew he would make it through.
Being a shy fellow, the crowd intimidated Rihano, but with his teacher’s words ringing in his ears, he pushed forward. “Mrs Hess always says to chop the words up into syllables,” says the eight-year-old, and that’s exactly what he did.
This allowed him to regain focus and steady himself.
At the end of the competition the judges had to bring in a list of Grade 3 words as Rihano had steamrolled through the Grade 2 set. Earning first place saw him secure his place at the provincial competition.
Rihano’s success is not a matter of luck; it is the result of consistent practise. Both Rihano and his teacher practice diligently, and are currently preparing for the provincials by working through the Grade 3 list of words. Unsurprisingly, it is the Grade 2 learner’s determination to learn that is driving these sessions.
“Rihano has shown his potential since Grade 1. If you look at his books, he is always getting full marks, but it takes him saying, ‘Yes, I am in.’ Then all we have to do is practise,” Hess explained.
That practice is now bearing fruit. Hess is fully aware of the importance of providing learners with a platform to showcase their spelling prowess.
“We have to nurture these learners’ talents because reading and spelling are still challenges in our community. If we don’t nurture them, they are likely to turn to negative outlets,” she said.
Hess hopes all of Rihano’s hard work will pay off as the WOW provincial competition takes place in Wellington this Saturday (14 September).
