Muir College matric pupil Lyle Ressouw has come first in his grade for the past eight years – and continued his winning streak at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s winter school for maths and accounting, coming first overall for maths and second for accounting.
No mean feat when you consider that Ressouw – who won a Samsung Galaxy tablet for his maths achievement and a R1000 Greenacres gift voucher for accounting – was up against 500 fellow accounting pupils and 350 maths pupils in the School of Accounting’s two-week-long AccMaths School, which finished on 18 July 2014.
It also meant the Grade 12 pupil could start the new term feeling confident about finals, which are just around the corner. “The winter school was a great advantage – it helped me revise the most important subject areas of both learning areas. I feel very confident.”
It is the first year NMMU’s School of Accounting has run the Grade 12 maths week. In the past, it focused only on accounting.
Ansulene Prinsloo, NMMU Accounting 1 lecturer and coordinator of the Deloitte-sponsored AccMaths School, said: “The main aim of the AccMaths School is to help Grade 12s obtain higher Admission Points Scores (APS), which is their entrance ticket to higher education.
“We added the week of Mathematics for the Grade 12s this year as we realized from experience that most pupils also struggle with this subject – which is also a key admission requirement for many university programmes. However, the Maths week was only available to those pupils who attended the Accounting week as well.”
The fortnight-long programme was taught using the School of Accounting’s teaching model – which includes a combination of lectures, tutorial classes and homework – thus giving the pupils a taste of university academics. Attendees also received career and bursary information – and were taught how to apply to university.
Eighteen-year-old Ressouw, a prefect who is involved in just about every cultural society at his school, said the winter school had helped him “meet new people and experience both subjects in a new way”.
“The lecturers were fantastic and the learning material was really beneficial, especially in helping me prepare for my finals … The accounting and maths tutors were also really great. They were willing to dedicate time to any problem that we had.”
Asked about his secret to success, Ressouw, who is hoping to study actuarial science at Stellenbosch University, said: “I always imagine where I want to be in 15 years … I imagine I’m at my peak – I have the career and income I want. I see myself as the director of a major company or the owner of a successful company. I have a family and close friends.
“I know that something like this won’t happen by sitting around, so I do as much as a I can to gain experience, because I know that experience equals success.”
The other prize winners for maths were second-placed Mihlali Siqaza, who attends Cambridge High in East London, Grey High’s Antin Phillips in third position and Daniel Pienaar High’s Andrew Chamberlain, who won the prize for the most improved pupil.
For accounting, Ressouw was joined on the podium by first-placed Anovuyo Mqingwana from King William’s Town’s Kingsridge High and third-placed Josh Rudman from Grey High. Kingsridge High’s Luthando Gitywa was the most improved pupil.
Author: Nicky Willemse
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