A Stirling High School grade 11 pupil recently made the Eastern Cape proud after finishing in the top 10 at a national technical drawing competition.
Stirling High’s Duncan Flanegan, a technical drawing fanatic participated in the Kagiso Trust National Vocational Skills Competition, recently held in Johannesburg and finished seventh.
The event brought together the top two pupils from each of South Africa’s provinces to compete in a series of demanding drawing and design challenges that tested everything from 2D to 3D visualisation, time management, and creative precision.
Although Duncan admits he felt nervous at first, he told the Go! that he had to “quickly settle in” and took pride in competing on behalf of his province.
“At first, I was nervous, but once I arrived there I settled down. I was proud to be competing,” Duncan said.
“We were tasked with a variety of complex design activities, including creating a one-bedroom house with a garage, a step up from the regular floor plans typically drawn in school.”
Duncan’s dedication and skill earned him an impressive seventh place nationally; a result he says initially left him a little disappointed, but soon filled him with pride.
“I realised the magnitude of what I achieved,” he said.
Duncan credited his teacher, Mrs Moss, and fellow pupil, Jenna-Mae Pringle, for being his biggest supporters.
“Mrs Moss has helped me realise that it’s something I’m competent in and has furthered my skills.”
He mentioned that the competition opened his eyes to the incredible talent across the country and inspired him to consider engineering as a future career path.
“I realised how skilled others are and that engineering is a much more viable option for me.”
His advice to aspiring competitors is to “properly prepare because the competition is challenging in unexpected ways”.
The school’s marketing team said: “We are immensely proud of Duncan for finishing seventh nationally and showcasing incredible talent, determination, and Stirling spirit.”
