Jubilant Heathfield Primary School pupils took first place in the 2018 Phendulani Literary quiz.
Hosted by Westcott Primary School and held on Thursday October 11, this is the third time the quiz has been held in the Cape.
The school hall was filled with nervous apprehension as the pupils from 12 teams sat down to pit their literary knowledge against each other.
The light hearted banter of the amazing quizmaster Loyiso Mkize soon had the pupils relaxed and at ease, so much so that they all forgot the golden rule of whispering and in great excitement they all spontaneously shouted out the answer to a question.
It was an exciting afternoon of questions and answers which culminated with new entrants to the quiz, Heathfield Primary, taking first place.
Mr Mkize was an awesome quiz master and the creator of the book Kwezi, which the pupils had to read for the quiz.
The objective of the Phendulani Literary Quiz is not only to give the pupils a reason to open a book but to sustain reading after the quiz by providing them with book prizes.
The South African Library Trust donated the funding for the book prizes, directly benefiting pupils participating in the quiz as each participant received at least one book prize.
Seven Grade 7 pupils from Westcott, having won the quiz in the past two years, took their enthusiasm for reading and knowledge of the quiz to Heathfield. For two terms the seven girls dedicated one hour a week to encouraging and assisting six pupils from Heathfield with their preparations for the 2018 Phendulani Quiz. It was fantastic for them to be able to see a positive outcome to their outreach.
Heathfield Primary pupil Panache Magwere said the quiz was exciting. “Like a new experience for all of us, we didn’t expect to win. We are really, really happy that we won and we’ll do it again next year,”
Taylor Daniels of Heathfield Primary said: “It was a team building experience and a new experience and great to get to know each other in a different way.”
Deputy principal of Heathfield Primary, Merle Jansen, said: “The children have realised that with hard work they can do it – it’s not just about reading books but it’s putting in the hard work. We are extremely proud of them and we look forward to participating next year”.
* Rona Souter is the regional co-ordinator for the Phendulani Quiz, and librarian at Westcott Primary School.
