Bulletin

Golden Key for Another Old Unionite

A world of golden opportunities unlocked

Kayla Hobson, an alumnus of Union High School, was recently invited to join the Golden Key Honours Society.  She received her certificate and badge on Thursday, 23 May, at a special ceremony held at NMU.

Kayla, who is the daughter of Daleen and Old Unionite Beaver Hobson, matriculated from UHS in 2016 where she served as Deputy Headgirl in her matric year and excelled in tennis, hockey and swimming.

After matriculating, she spent 2017 at Salisbury Cathedral School in the UK as a GAP student, where after she commenced with her studies at the Nelson Mandela University (NMU).

She is currently in her second year of studies towards a BHms (Bachelor of Human Movement Science) degree.

[Human Movement Science is the study of how people move in different contexts and of the factors related to the analysis, improvement and recovery of physical activity.  The focus is on issues encountered in physical activity in every-day life, related to work and free time, as well as recreational and top-level sports.]

Upon completion of her third year, Kayla plans on specialising in Sports Science, a study field which encompasses aspects such as helping athletes increase their skill levels, avoid injury and reach peak performance

• Golden Key is the world’s largest collegiate honour society and is based on academic achievement.

Membership into the Society is by invitation only and applies to the top 15 percent of college and university sophomores, juniors and seniors, as well as top-performing graduate students in all fields of study.

Well done Kayla!

Academic, Bulletin

Exchange Student Update

Exchange students enjoying life in the UK

UHS Grade 7 learners Matthew Davenport and Caytah-Leigh Koeberg, who are currently spending some time in the UK as part of the 2019 Salisbury Exchange Programme, are having a lot of fun abroad.

This past weekend, the two lucky learners were spoiled by their host family with a trip to Twickenham Stadium in London to enjoy the HSBC World Rugby Sevens tournament.  They have also become quite involved in the Salisbury Cathedral School’s extracurricular activities with Caytah-Leigh especially enjoying the school’s music programme, participating in singing and piano, while Matt did really well at the school’s recent athletics day.

Sport Results

Snr Hockey Results vs Westering

Mixed results for senior hockey teams

Union High School’s hockey teams travelled to Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 25 May, to take on Westering High School in what proved to be a very tough encounter.

The Union players were, however, up for the challenge.  The u/16B team drew 1 – 1, the u/16A team won 2 – 0, the second team lost 0 – 2 and the first team won 2 – 1.

After a lengthy trip to PE, Union’s first team started a little flat when they took to the turf but soon managed to find some rhythm.  Union penetrated the Westering circle and won penalty corners on many occasions, but, unfortunately, failed to convert.  It took the Union team 21 minutes to eventually find the back of the net with a well-worked goal by Laetitia Theron who made a good run with the perfect finish.

Westering then equalized a few minutes later and made it tough for the Union team with some good defensive efforts on their side.  In the 47th minute, Union saw a beautiful ball picked up by Henzè Japhta who entered the Westering circle and struck the perfect shot into the back of the net to put Union 2 – 1 up.

With only a few minutes left on the clock, Westering pressed into Union’s half with intent, but the UHS defense was up to the task and kept them out.

Bulletin

UHS to Host World-Renowned Choir

This June, Union High School will play host to the musical wonder that is the Drakensberg Boys Choir.

This esteemed choir, widely regarded as one of the best in the world, will dazzle a Graaff-Reinet audience with their angelic voices for one night only in the Union High School hall during their national tour

The choir has been captivating audiences for the past 50 years and will now be showcasing their abilities for the enjoyment of a local crowd with songs both old and new.

The choir embraces the versatility, stamina and raw talent of boys from across the country and abroad to create a choral spectacular, jam-packed with a variety of musical styles ranging from classical and contemporary choral gems to billboard pop hits, to authentic indigenous South African music.

The boys themselves are ecstatic to be visiting Graaff-Reinet and hope the show fully delivers on everyone’s expectations.  Lovers of good quality choral music should not miss this performance which will surely wow all who attend.

Tickets for the show on Wednesday evening, 26 June at 18:30, will be available at R120 each from Wednesday, 29 May, at the Union High School office (049 891 262).

Bulletin

Jnr Boys’ Bathroom Revamp

Colin Warner Plumbing is at it again!

This time it’s the junior boys’ bathroom at Union High School that’s being revamped.

We’re talking toilets, sinks and urinals – it’s all getting redone to give the learners a bathroom with a clean, modern look they can take pride in.The school is very excited about this project as the renovation, upkeep and general cleanliness of the school’s bathrooms always feature high on Union’s priority list.

It all comes down to setting the tone for learning by making sure all aspects of the school, physical and instructional, combine to create a good environment.

Academic, Bulletin, Eco-Schools

Grade 7 Technology

Union High School’s Grade 7 Technology learners were recently tasked with designing and building a model of a cell phone tower using their knowledge of structures.

The learners were allowed to choose whether or not they would be building a standard cell phone tower or one that would blend in with the environment in order to limit visual pollution.

Seen here are some of their brilliant designs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rugby, Sport Results

Snr Rugby Results vs Westering

UHS claims victory at annual derby day

This past Saturday, 25 May, Union High School travelled to Port Elizabeth to face Westering High School in the two schools’ much-anticipated annual derby day.

A very early start to the day and a 3-hour bus trip tested the Union players’ character from the get-go.  The rugby games started at 09:15 on dewy fields which made handling very tough for both schools.

The willingness to succeed and teamwork proved to be the difference in the junior ranks. UHS won two out of the three junior matches, which encouraged the senior teams to give it their all.

The second team once again proved way too strong for their opponents and dominated all facets of the game. This was a true reflection of the depth Union has in the senior rugby ranks and the benefit of the first and second team practicing well together.

Union’s 1st XV stated their intentions from the first whistle, as Zusakhe Ngwane leaped into the air to reclaim possession from a Jaden Brotherton kick-off. This moment set the tone for the rest of the match as Union put Westering under pressure for the duration of the game.

Westering defended admirably, but after 15 minutes of continuous defense, Junior Duba broke the line untouched to score under the poles. Brett Amsterdam added the conversion.

A few minutes later, a lack of discipline led to a Westering penalty. The score now read 7 – 3 in favour of UHS.  Union continued to apply pressure but failed to convert the hard work into points. Westering pounced on a defensive error and scored an unconverted try. The score now stood at 8 – 7 in Westering’s favour after 18 minutes of play.  Union, however, regained composure and controlled the pace at which the game was played.

Holding onto possession and continuity, led to Junior Duba crossing over for his second try. Brett Amsterdam converted to put Union 14 – 8 ahead. Five minutes later, Khwezi Simon dotted over for a well-worked team try. The conversion was missed and the score now stood at 19 – 8 in favour of Union’s ‘Mighty Whites’.  A lack in depth on attack and playing away from the ball, saw Westering intercept a pass and score a converted try for the score to read 19 – 15 in Union’s favour.

Under a bit of scoreboard pressure, Zusakhe Ngwane showed his experience by quick tapping a penalty to put Ashton Dawids in space to cross over in the corner. Brett Amsterdam used the wind well to slot a difficult touchline conversion. Union went into half time 26 – 15 up.

The second half started off very similar to the beginning of the match, as Union continued to apply pressure to Westering’s defense. They continued to defend with all their might, but individual brilliance from Junior Duba saw him cross the whitewash for his hat-trick. Brett Amsterdam converted to increase Union’s lead to 33 – 15.

Westering replied with a good chip and gather try. They converted to make the score stand at 33 – 22.  Wonderful skills and interplay by Union’s backline then led to a try by Brett Amsterdam. He converted to take Union’s tally to 40 points.  With five minutes to go on the clock, Union broke through the heart of Westering’s defense and saw the UHS backline casually shift the ball from fly-half to wing untouched with no defenders in sight. Junior Duba crossed the line to score his fourth try of the game.

Union won the match 45 – 22.

The try scorers for Union, were Junior Duba (4), Khwezi Simon, Ashton Dawids and Brett Amsterdam.

Brett Amsterdam successfully converted 5 from 7.

The other matches during the course of the morning, saw Union’s u/14As lose, the u/15As win 19 – 15, the u/16As win 25 – 20 and the second team win 48 – 3.

Thanks are extended to all the parents and old scholars for their loyal support of Union’s sports teams.

Rugby, Sport Results

Jnr Rugby Results vs Cradock

In what proved to be a very challenging fixture for Union, the school’s u/13A rugby team came out on top in their encounter against Cradock Primary School (CPS) in Graaff-Reinet on Saturday, 25 May, with the final score standing at 21 – 15 in Union’s favour.

The other matches against CPS, saw the u/7As lose 0 – 30, the u/9Bs win 28 – 7, the u/9As lose 7 – 33, the u/11Bs lose 0 – 50 and the u/13Bs lose 0 – 12.

Thanks are extended to all the supporters who showed up to support the Union teams.

Bulletin

Another Golden Key Recipient

It’s always great to get news on our past learners.

If you have any stories to share, please send an e-mail to uhsmarketing@unionschools.co.za – we’d love to share the news with the Union High School community.

Here’s an update on Anje Oelofsen who matriculated from UHS at the end of 2017:  Anje was awarded yet another accolade for her academic excellence in the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) School of Accounting’s BCom (Accounting Sciences) Programme by being invited to join the Golden Key International Honours Society.

Well done Anje, you make Union High School very proud!

 

Hockey, Sport Results

Jnr Hockey Results vs Cradock

JUNIOR HOCKEY VS CRADOCK (home) – 25 MAY 2019

3rd Jnr won 3 – 0

2nd Jnr drew 0 – 0

1st Jnr lost 0 – 2

Our Junior hockey teams hosted Cradock Primary this weekend in hot, dry conditions. Despite a great start to the morning, with a fine win by the 3rd team girls, the 2nd and 1st team girls were unable to maintain the momentum and neither managed to put a score on the board.

The girls came up against tough opposition from a physical Cradock side and although they tried hard to penetrate the defenses, they were denied success.

The second team girls played well, and displayed some lovely passing skills, but were unfortunately a little too “polite” on the day and would certainly have benefited from being a touch more aggressive in getting to the ball first. Mention must be made of Emma Short, who through exceptional work epitomised this skill on the day, and as a result, directly initiated the majority of our circle entries. The teams were very evenly matched and this made for an entertaining outing for the spectators.

The first team girls appeared to be a little lethargic in their match against the spirited Cradock team and consequently spent a lot of the game on defense which left us rattled and produced some scrappy play. While the teams did appear fairly evenly matched in skill, our girls were just a touch slower off the mark and this put us under great pressure for much of the match. We did manage more than a few circle entries, but were unable to convert, while Cradock were able to push two soft goals home after some sloppy defense on our behalf.

This was not the best result to give us confidence for our upcoming encounter against Collegiate next weekend, but it has given us scope to reflect on what we are doing wrong so that we can work on improving our game plan and our mindset for future fixtures.