GHS learner places in top in district
Rebecca Summersgill took second place in the district, achieving eight distinctions in her final national certificate examinations.
Summersgill said she was surprised at how high she placed, but very happy with her final results.
“I was aiming for distinctions, but then I didn’t feel like I did that well in finals. When I placed second in the district I was pleasantly surprised, because I was just aiming for my eight distinctions.”
Reflecting on the last two years of online learning amid the pandemic and then the looting last July, Summersgill said during all the chaos, “school was the only thing that felt normal”.
“I just threw myself into my studies. I’m very blessed to have the support from my mom and dad as well. My dad used to go on walks with me to help me destress.”
While she focused her energy on school, Summersgill also knew the importance of taking breaks and she reserved Friday afternoons as her time off, and also went on walks regularly.
Summersgill has been accepted at Stellenbosch University where she will study actuarial science.
Zekethelo Bhengu couldn’t believe it when she learned she had obtained distinctions in all her subjects. “I was hoping for some distinctions, but not all. These results definitely exceeded my expectations,” Bhengu said.
Bhengu said she had studied hard throughout the year and made sure she knew the content and asked if she was stuck on anything. She believes staying calm and trying not to panic during the exams also attributed to her doing so well. “I tried to stay calm and just trust myself in the exam, instead of panicking when I wasn’t sure of something,” she said.
She said her friends kept her motivated and were always there to reassure each other. “It helped knowing we were all in this together.”
“The school also tried its best to make sure we all got the support we needed and didn’t fall behind.”
One challenge she faced during the year was the high workload and very tight deadlines. “I learnt to manage my time day by day and bit by bit. I just did what I could and tried not to overwhelm myself.”
The highlights of the year were her matric farewell and spending the last few days with her classmates. “I might never see some of them again and we’ve spent the last five years of our life together.”
Bhengu will be studying investment management at University of Cape Town.