Hanover Park school triumphs in RWS Newspaper Quiz despite local violence
Reading and Writing Solutions founder Jeff Paulse has praised Blomvlei Primary School for its bravery. He honoured the school on Tuesday and encouraged it to continue with its good work.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Teacher Debbie Rinquest has taught at the school for 30 years. She is proud of her school.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Zion Van Dieman led the Blomvlei Primary School quiz team.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Blomvlei Primary School pupils and teachers were recognised for their hard work.
Image: Phiri Cawe
QUERIES Hard work paid off on Tuesday, September 30, for a Hanover Park school as they resisted guns and violence in the area.
The Blomvlei Primary School pupils were awarded certificates of recognition after participating in the annual Reading and Writing Solutions (RWS) Newspaper Quiz and Spelling Bee last month. The competition took place on Thursday, September 11, at the Dulcie September Civic Centre in Athlone, drawing more than 1 000 attendees ("Parkhurst Primary crowned champions of RWS Newspaper Quiz and Spelling Bee, Athlone News, September 12).
RWS founder Jeff Paulse praised the school for its bravery in the face of local shootings and for participating in the competition. He commended the teachers for their unwavering dedication.
“For their bravery and resistance, we felt it was important to honour them. There were gang shootings in the area, but they continued with their work. They also performed well in the competition, finishing in fifth place. That is a significant achievement for a school entering for the first time while facing such challenges,” he said.
School teacher Debbie Rinquest attributed their success to discipline and hard work. After tirelessly preparing the pupils for the competition, she said she was proud of the pupils.
“It was a very challenging time for our school, but we remained strong, disciplined, and determined. Due to the challenges, we could not conduct rehearsals and practices at school; we had to change venues. This required hard work, but I am happy that the teachers’ work and the children’s efforts truly paid off,” she said.
Ms Rinquest also commended the pupils and their families for their commitment, noting that colleagues and other students at the school rallied behind them during difficult times, showing immense support.
“We are very surprised by this achievement today. This is the greatest accomplishment for a school participating for the first time. We will continue to work hard,” she said.
Zion Van Dieman, the team leader, was equally surprised by his team's performance.
“We wanted to show our peers that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. This reinforces the idea that if one works hard toward achieving a goal, it is possible. We faced many challenges and gained valuable experiences. I'm genuinely surprised by how well we did,” he said.
The final word came from the school principal, Waldimar Snyders, who expressed immense pride in his school.
“We persevered despite the gang shootings because we love our children and our parents. Unfortunately, there are people out there who cannot think. However, we will continue to empower our children,” he said.