Coetzee wows at the Sanlam WOW Spelfees
PLETTENBERG BAY - Colin Coetzee, a Grade 9 student at Plettenberg Bay Secondary School, has been making waves in spelling competitions, showcasing his exceptional linguistic skills and rising the ranks as a national spelling champion.
In 2022, Colin began his spelling journey by participating in the Sanlam WOW Spelfees festival, despite initially not making it through last year, this year he made a triumphant return to the competition, encouraged by his teachers, Mrs Manuel and Mrs Maree.
The Sanlam WOW Spelfees festival features competitions at district, provincial and national levels, with participants categorised according to their grade. Colin, eager to test his spelling prowess, competed in both the English and Afrikaans categories this year. The district level competition took place on 25 August, followed by the provincial level on 9 September. Finally, on 7 October, the national competition was held at Stellenbosch University.
Colin secured first place in all three tournaments, emerging as the top speller in his grade and category. The competitions revolved around a Grade 9 spelling list, with each participant assigned a number to compete in. Colin's impressive performance clearly showed his passion for reading and languages.
In addition to his success in spelling competitions, Colin also achieved first place in the idiom competition hosted by Plettenberg Bay Secondary on 25 February. His consistent commitment to academic excellence also earned him a recognition as a merit student in the first term of this year.
Colin credits his family, teachers and his principal for their unwavering support, which boosted his confidence to participate in the spelling competitions. "We are looking at Colin with new eyes and respect as the words in the competition were quite difficult. He is the difference that we want to see," says Plettenberg Bay Secondary principal Juan Jullies.
Another Grade 9 student from Plettenberg Bay Secondary, Onako Manyela, also showed an impressive 60% knowledge of the words on the spelling list.