Yesterday, our brand new Primary Marimba band learned their first song. You can see the concentration on their faces as they try to remember the rhythms, notes and sequences. Max Blank, our exchange student from Salisbury Cathedral is especially proud to be part of the band this term and to learn a new instrument. He quickly caught on to the melody and played it almost flawlessly. Our Marimba band is looking forward to making more music together!
Congratulations to Matthew Paxton who has been selected for the Eastern Province U/13 tennis team. He will be participating in the SA primary school tennis tournament held in Bloemfontein 16-19 March.
Our branded Centenary Rugby Balls, seen here with Senior Sports Administrator, Mr Raymond Hamilton, have arrived! These match balls will be used at home matches throughout the season.
The following learners have made the Eastern Province Country Districts Tennis Team in their various age groups:
U/12 Girls
Tara Ferreira
Misha Newton
Chloe Erasmus
U12 Boys
Matthew Paxton
U/14 Girls
Caytah-Leigh Koeberg
Anna Pringle (Reserve)
U/14 Boys
Brent Hesselink
U/19 Girls
Micela Loock
Sara Kingwill
Christine Harris (Reserve)
U/19 Boys
Noá Cilliers
With Union committed to embracing their surrounding environment as a part of the education of their learners, the Grade 8 Orientation camp plays an important part in introducing the youngest members of the high school to the environmental ethos of the school. 71 excited grade 8s set off early on Thursday morning with the guides from the Camdeboo National Park, staff and prefects, and hiked to the Education Centre tucked behind Spandau. It was tough going in the extreme heat, and teamwork and encouragement got everyone to their destination. After lunch the grade 8s engaged in activities with educational team from the National Park, as well as a series of specially designed tasks that facilitated them working together as a grade and co-operating with the senior mentoring system in the school.
This was an excellent opportunity for the senior leaders of the school and boarding houses to get to know their young charges. Respect, dignity, care and co-operation are also key factors to becoming a Unionite, and our leaders stressed this throughout their time together.
The grade 8s arrived home hot and tired on Friday having gleaned a little more about the Union way of life. Grateful thanks are extended to the team at the Camdeboo National Park, Miss van Rensburg and Mr Ittershagen-Strauss, Mrs Sullivan and Mr Kingwill for food and logistics and the prefects who gave of their all to make the Orientation camp such a success.
Tiekieaand is an age-old tradition at Union. Traditionally one of the major events for the grade 11 fundraising committee, it serves 2 functions:
1. For the entire Prep and Middle School to have an evening of good old fashioned fun together under the guidance of the grade 11s.
2. For the Grade 11s to learn about planning and executing a money making event in real life!
Much fun was had by all as they had their faces painted, played pillow fights, did some… dancing, threw some sponges at seniors and staff, tried their luck at tombola and indulged in tasty treats.
The grade has worked so well together, pulling great things out of hats, (including 2 Tiekaands within a few monts of each other!) and is well on their way to achieving their target.
Please support their efforts in the next few weeks – the Mother-Daughter tea is their next event.
Union High School celebrated their new Interact committee with their first community activity by creating blankets for Narsing Street Hostel learners as part of the “Blanket Project” launched by Derek Light Attorneys. Mrs Michelle Kingwill trained sixteen Interact members and the group produced 8 blankets by the end of the session. Mrs Crankshaw served the group with much guidance throughout the session.
The committee elected Siphesihle Jali as chairperson, Jada Smith as deputy-chairperson, Kirsten King as secretary and Ethan Gedult as Treasurer. The executive will lead sixteen enthusiastic teenagers with a heart for the communities they live in.
We wish our Interact many a successful community project for 2019.
The Top 8 Senior boys’ and girls’ tennis teams competed against our traditional Grahamstown rivals, St Andrews, DSG, Graeme College, Victoria Girls and Kingswood on Sunday 20 January 2019.
The girls beat both VG and Kingswood by 12 matches to 0, with only DSG providing any opposition. UHS won this clash by 7 matches to 5, winning the overall title by 2 matches. Special mention must be made of Micela Loock (number1) and Christine Harri…s (number 3) who were unbeaten on the day in both their singles and doubles matches. Congratulations to Micela Loock who is girls’ captain and Jenna McNaughton vice-captain.
The UHS boys who were competing for the Settlers cup, played tenacious tennis against strong opposition all day. While some individual matches were very closely contested, their fighting spirit saw them beating Graeme College by 10 matches to 2 and Kingswood, 9-3. Going into the final round, St Andrews were one match ahead of us. Losing 3 of the singles matches in tie-breakers, the boys fought hard but were beaten on the day by 8 matches to 4.St Andrews beat us into second place by 5 matches overall. While every member of the team contributed positively, excellent results were achieved by Noä Cilliers, Ebben Johnston and Bowen Langmead.
On Friday evening Mr Pringle invited those who had been involved with the Centenary Walkway to the official opening of this beautiful new addition to Union. In his speech of appreciation Mr Pringle said the following:
“Welcome everyone and thank you for attending and being at the school on a Friday evening. We felt that it would be proper and fitting to host a small gathering of the people who were involved in the realisation of this project and to acknowledge this. At the end of last year, everyone left so hastily upon the completion of the project, so we didn’t get a chance to celebrate what has been achieved.
This project began in our minds somewhere early last year, and through a series of discussions and conversations it evolved into what we see today. It involved a significant amount of organisation and hard labour, generosity of good people from our community and kindness and passion for our school. Joan put up her hand and got the ball rolling, calling on folk to assist where they could, requesting that rock be donated and delivered, and getting her hands dirty with the actual labour as well.
I think back to the day that Mr Sparrius, Mr Kingwill and I travelled with the Arthur Kingwill House boys to Zuurplaats and met Kevin, Lisa, Peter and their staff, and how well we were hosted as we enjoyed a braai in the veld, and how we found the rare Mountain Adder under a rock. Peter just took charge and drove the tractor and trailer and marshalled his troops and before we knew it, the job was done.
Then it was having the rock brought to the school all the way from the farm, and for that we are so grateful to Campbell who gives so much to our schools. Without you, Campbell, that rock might still be sitting in a pile on the farm. And then Kevin and Peter went and collected more rock on the farm, all by themselves, and Campbell again assisted us and delivered the rock to the school. Kevin and Lisa, we are so grateful to you for your generosity and kindness, and for your commitment and passion for our school.
It was at this time that donations of pockets of cement and other material started arriving at the school. We were repeatedly left astounded by the generosity of our community as every time the cement ran low, a bakkie would arrive and we would be able to continue the work. To those of you who contributed in this way, thank you.
I would like to acknowledge the many men who worked as casual labourers and who came and went as the project progressed. Some lasted longer than others, but they all played a role. Kevin, if you would extend our thanks to your staff who were a tremendous help.
To Donald who provided so much practical advice, support and whose expertise and knowledge of this sort of project was invaluable. I will never forget the hard work and sweat that went into removing trees from this walkway. Donald, they broke the mould when they made you, and we are so very grateful to you for your work here, but more than that; for the man that you are and for what you mean to this school and community. Thank you very much.
But without the effort of David, and, of course, the support of Bronwen who was ever present providing refreshments, coffee or snacks and did her fair share of the labour, this project would not have been realised. David worked for a full month on his hands and knees laying this stone, in the most intense summer heat, checking that each stone was level, that the length and breadth of that section was level, and that a quality of workmanship was maintained throughout. And when the work was nearing completion, he didn’t hasten to get it done, it morphed even further and suddenly a plan was made to level the water furrows and, with the assistance of Kevin and Peter, to source a fabulous Karoo rock on which to engrave the school’s crest and the centenary dates, and then a small retaining wall was needed and David collected the rocks and that was built. Your passion for this project was immense and we are very grateful to you for your hard work and for your leadership from the front.
I have been reminded of the value of the people of this community and of what can be achieved when we harness the talents of the people in this community and what can be achieved when we all work together for a common goal. This walkway will be here long after we are gone, and it will always be a reminder to us of that time when we all put our shoulder to the wheel and got the job done. This walkway, constructed of stone from the Karoo and laid by the hands of the Karoo people, an enduring symbol of the people who have built this school is a fitting tribute to those people and to this school on its 100th birthday.
I truly believe that this school’s founders would be proud of what we’ve achieved and of the school that this has become. Please charge your glasses and let’s drink a toast to this fine old school in this milestone year and to the Centenary Way. “To Union High School” – Cheers!”
Union is very proud to announce that Amanda Brink has been awarded the Johan Rupert Achievement Award for being the TOP MATRIC in Graaff-Reinet for 2019!
Amanda receives a generous cash prize which will be paid towards her studies. Amanda has just arrived at Stellenbosch University where she has been accepted to study Occupational Therapyl
Congratulations Amanda, you have done us proud!