Crawford International Ruimsig is beaming with pride after a stellar performance in the prestigious English Olympiad for the second time this year.
Learners from the Further Studies (FS) English class in grades 11 and 12 truly made their mark, earning an impressive haul of five bronze, four silver, and one gold certificate.
Among these exceptional achievements, one student stood out – Elihle Ngcobo, who not only secured the gold certificate but also ranked 47th in the entire country. This outstanding achievement demonstrates Elihle’s dedication, hard work and passion for the English language.
“Initially I was shocked. I didn’t know how to react, I think mostly because I didn’t expect it, like, me? But I was very happy and excited nonetheless because it’s such a big achievement,” Elihle said when asked about her achievement.
The English Olympiad is a national competition that tests students’ ability to think critically, analyse literary works and showcase their creative writing skills. The competition is known for its rigorous demands, making the success of the Crawford students all the more significant.
Besides ‘not having a choice’ because I do FS English, I was going to do it anyway. I like writing in general and honestly, the goal to achieve higher than I had last year also made me determined. I prepared by reading and working through the anthology provided, which I liked because it consisted of memoir and autobiography extracts, which are what I enjoy reading already,” Elihle expressed.
Elihle’s success did not come without challenges.
“If I can remember correctly, I did get a bit stuck after writing the introduction of the essay question as I wondered how I’d proceed but it did help to be able to have the anthology with me, which enabled me to continue,” she remarked.
She further added that preparing for the Olympiad was challenging, especially with the added duties that came with being an executive.
“It didn’t help either that I had camp to go to a week before and a congested week of assignments right after camp, a few days before the Olympiad. However, I think that my interest in the content of what we had to prepare before the Olympiad kept me motivated to prepare in the midst of it all.
“This was my last year competing in the Olympiad since I am in Grade 12 but if anything, the achievement made me realise that my passion for writing is recognised to such a high degree. I am looking forward to studying law next year and pursuing a career in law, as an advocate, in the future,” Elihle concludes.
