Ashton Singh.
Image: Supplied
Thirteen-year-old Ashton Singh from Westville Senior Primary School placed second in the Junior Division at the eighth season of the African Spelling Bee Championships in Harare.
The Grade 8 pupil competed against young spellers from more than 30 African countries during the continental competition, which tested participants through more than 10 rounds of spelling challenges.
The winners from the African championships will now represent the continent at the World Spelling Bee Championships in Shanghai this July.
Speaking about his achievement, Ashton said the experience felt surreal.
“It was exciting and unreal to have placed second. I still feel like it never happened even though it did. Reaching the end was not an easy journey. I competed in more than 10 rounds."
He said his older sister inspired his love for spelling competitions.
“She was talented at the literature quiz (lit quiz) and I wanted to follow in her footsteps, which was how I found myself competing in Spelling Bees."
Despite the pressure of the competition, Ashton remained composed.
“The hardest word I had to spell was ‘bougainvillea,’ but I got through it."
He added that preparation and daily reading played a major role in his success.
“My routine for preparing for competitions is reading. I have a commitment to learning new words each day even after long school days. Learning from everything I see, including types of cheeses in supermarkets or dishes on menus, helps expand my vocabulary and introduces me to new words."
The young speller admitted that not every word came easily.
“I faced times when I had to spell words I had not seen before, like the Arabic word, ‘dua’. When words are hard, I remember the rules for spellings that sound similar to the word or I make up rhymes that I learn to remember and it comes to me. However, I did lose points for the word ‘dua’ which I did not hear correctly."
Outside of spelling competitions, Ashton is interested in technology.
“Even though I like spelling, I also enjoy coding and IT. After school, I would like to study either management sciences or computer sciences."
He also hopes to challenge misconceptions about spelling champions.
“People assume a lot about spelling champions which is not true, like that we all learn the dictionary by heart. I have constantly been asked that, but that is not true,” Ashton said.
Ashton added that spelling competitions have taught him resilience and focus.
“Competing in Spelling Bees taught me how to recover if I got a word wrong and how to still focus and overcome disappointment if I lost first place. It is about balance."
With his sights now firmly set on the global stage, Ashton says his next dream is clear.
“My next goal is winning the World Spelling Bee in Shanghai."
Ashton encouraged other pupils interested in spelling competitions to develop a love for reading and make productive use of their time.
"Always read. Try to minimise screen time and spend every day as productively as possible, like trying new sports, reading new books or making new friends,” said Singh.