Cape Town - We know that competitions can always be nerve-wrecking, but with a little help and support, it can ease the stress.

With a little help and support Cassidy Hendricks is now ready for the finals of the South African Literacy Association's (Sala) annual reading and spelling bee.

At the competition Cassidy will be reading English 1st Language at a Grade 2 level and also taking part in the spelling bee, which is meant for Grade 3 and 4 learners.

Cassidy, 8, a learner from Grassy Park, has shown potential; she has won a lot of competitions and once took second place in the national final rounds of the South African Literacy Association for English.

She has competed in many spelling bee competitions, so this is not something new to her. She started reading at the age of 2 and is capable of spelling more than 459 words by heart.

Among the activities Cassidy does to be ready for finals are daily spelling and reading exercises. She reads passionately in a variety of genres, and sometimes she plays scrabble and word games.

"I also check the definitions of words I don't know or have read about, and I read books in my library, which has about 330 titles at the moment,” said Cassidy.

Her grandmother said that she knew that Cassidy would go to the final round as she received permission to take part in the spelling bee although she is only in Grade 2, and it is generally only open to students in Grades 3 and up.

Cassidy also received acknowledgement and praise from former deputy president Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the Reading Panel Conference.

Nawaal Brenner from Buck Road, one of Cassidy's teachers, who was always supportive and never failed to offer her encouragement, said Cassidy is a real asset to the class and her fellow peers.

"She's a real role model to the class, and I encourage her to read aloud. And participating in reading at school, in different classes,” she said.

She added that that the school is very happy that she will be taking part in the competition.

“We are so very proud of her, and we will help her prepare, stay focused, and believe in herself.”

Weekend Argus