As the 2026 Anglican Schools Spelling Bee kicks off, a familiar face took a new spot in the crowd this year: last year’s champion, 10-year-old Raheem Nu’Man of All Saints Anglican Primary School, traded the competition stage for the audience to cheer on the next generation of young spellers.
Nu’Man claimed the 2025 championship title after months of rigorous preparation that saw him memorize and practice up to 100 new words every day. Looking back on the intensive training process, the young champion acknowledged the pressure of the experience, but emphasized that the challenge left him with valuable skills and unforgettable rewards.
“It was very challenging, but in the end it was nice,” Nu’Man shared in an interview ahead of this year’s competition.
Today, the 10-year-old balances his primary school academic work with his growing passion for football, and he has already set clear, ambitious goals for his future: he hopes to pursue careers as both a professional athlete and a police officer, working toward multiple dreams at once.
His father, Saleem Nu’Man, said that the trait that has stood out most to him since his son’s 2025 win is his remarkable humility for a child his age. Even after claiming the top spot, Raheem did not gloat over his victory; instead, he felt empathy for the fellow competitors who did not place high in the event.
“He felt bad for the ones who didn’t win,” Saleem Nu’Man shared.
Event organizers echoed the longstanding value of the annual spelling bee, noting that it remains a key educational activity to strengthen primary school students’ literacy, vocabulary, and language skills even as digital communication grows more pervasive in daily life and learning environments.
A full in-depth report on this year’s Anglican Schools Spelling Bee will air tonight on News 5 Live at 6:00 PM.