Learners Take Aim

On Friday, 26 July, 11 Union High School learners made history when they competed – for the very first time – alongside Marlow Agricultural High School and Hoër Volkskool in an inter-school shooting competition.

The competition was held at the Koedoeskloof Outdoor Shooting Range in Uitenhage and was a great success for the Union learners.  Although the wind was howling, the learners still managed to record great results.

In the Air Rifle Open Sight competition, Tammy James claimed a second place with a score of 13/20.  Michaela Price came in third with a score of 11/20.  Jordan Hall and Schea Johnson also recorded good results.

In the Air Sport Pistol category, Kelly-Page Scott came second among the girls and Angus McGlaggen first among the boys.

“I am so very proud of these learners, not only for their excellent performance in challenging conditions but for flying the Union flag so high during this momentous event,” said coach Christelle van Eck.

A Glimpse Into The Classroom

Union High School’s Grade 7s are learning all about renewable energy technologies in Natural Sciences.

Because cooking with the sun’s power is a fun way to use a renewable resource, the learners were tasked with applying the science they’ve learned, by building their very own solar ovens. The Grade 7s quickly got creative by using cardboard, aluminum foil and other recyclables to create their very own energy-efficient ovens!

New Choir Benches

Besides the musical part, there are many aspects to think about when a choir performs – acoustically positioning choir members being one of them.

To assist with this, Union High School recently invested in new choir benches. Expertly made by André Brink and Herman Laubscher, these sturdy new benches will provide the choristers with a comfortable place to stand and allow the choir directors the opportunity to position the singers for optimal sound.

Seen here are the members of the junior choir who were the first to make use of the new benches during practice yesterday (Tuesday, 30 July).

Buy a Brick, Build a Legacy

Kroonvale Primary School in Graaff-Reinet is currently constructing a new school hall.

Through the ‘Sponsor-A-Brick’ Eco-Schools Community Initiative, Union High School is endeavouring to help Kroonvale Primary realise their dreams.  The school is facilitating a project, whereby the Union family is invited to sponsor a brick – at only R3 each.  All the sponsored bricks will then be donated to the Kroonvale Primary School hall construction project.

The first delivery of 1 000 bricks was delivered to Union High School on Friday, 26 July!

Help us help Kroonvale Primary – sponsor a brick – or more – today!

(Learners can see the Eco Reps on duty in the main quad at 2nd break on Wednesdays and Fridays in this regard.)

Winter Ball

Union High School’s learners dressed to a T for the recent Centenary Winter Ball.

Organised by the Grade 10 MF Committee, this much-anticipated event brought learners together on Thursday evening, 25 July, for a night of music and dancing in celebration of the school’s Centenary.

The Grade 10s managed to capture the beauty of falling snow with hundreds of snowflakes dangling from the ceiling and covering the walls of the school hall.

Thanks are extended to all the learners who came out, danced and enjoyed the evening.

As can be seen by the high levels of enjoyment on display by the learners in these photos, this learner-led event was well planned and enjoyed by all those who attended.

 

50 Caps for Chelsea Theron

In an encounter against Pearson High School on Saturday, 20 July, Union High School’s 1st hockey team centre-half, Chelsea Theron claimed her 50th cap for the school’s 1st hockey team.

In a pre-match ceremony before today’s fixture against Framesby, she received a small gift in recognition of this achievement, from Headmaster Mr. William Pringle and team captain Jenna McNaughton

This talented young hockey player has been representing the first team since she was in Grade 9.

Union thanks her for her hard work and dedication and congratulates her on this special achievement!

Snr Hockey Results vs Framesby

Victory for Union against Framesby

The hockey matches were fast and fierce against Framesby on Friday afternoon, 26 July 2019.

As part of the top 8 schools in the Eastern Cape, this was a “must-win” for union’s 1st team girls in order to ensure an upward movement on the overall log as the 2019 season nears the end. The girls started off by setting the pace for the match with an early goal in the second minute by Leatitia Theron.

This was followed by a feisty goal from Henzé Jaftha and a third by the captain, Jenna McNaughton, in the second quarter.  This took the girls to a comfortable 3 – 0 lead at half time. The third quarter enabled Henzé to shine again with two quick masterpieces, racking up her hat-trick for the match.

The final quarter allowed the girls to cement their lead even more with two goals from Micela Loock, resulting in a 7 – 0 victory.

The girls worked hard to maintain consistency throughout the match, capitalising on opportunities presented and keeping their work rate up for the entire match.

“This is a great start to a tough end of the season which is coming up for the girls, I look forward to seeing the hard work put in this season pay off on a high note against Alex, DSG, and Volkskool,” said coach Alvin August.

In other results against Framesby, Union’s 16B team beat Framesby 1 – 0, the u/16As also won 2 – 0, the 3dr team won 5 – 0 and the 2nd team won 3 – 0.

Snr Sport Results vs Winterberg

RUGBY

In Saturday’s rugby matches against Winterberg Agricultural High School in Fort Beaufort, the u/14A team lost 12 – 19, the u/15A team lost 12 – 14, the u/16A team won 36 – 14, the second team won 7 – 5 and the 1st team lost 14 – 31.

HOCKEY

Special mention must also be made off the girls who represented the school against Winterberg this past weekend – most playing against one team higher than their own ranking.  The girls were successful and flew the Union flag high, with the 2nd team beating Winterberg’s 1st team 4 – 0 and the u/16B team beating Winterberg’s 2nd team 6 – 0.

Respect The Spekboom!

The members of Union High School’s Eco Club recently made great strides in neutralizing their carbon footprint, by assisting SANParks in establishing a Spekboom nursery.

This incredible plant with its bright green, circular leaves is a miracle worker when it comes to fighting air pollution. It has the ability to ‘sequester’ or capture four to ten tons of carbon per hectare!

Essentially, it acts as a carbon sponge, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and turning it into plant matter. Excess carbon in the atmosphere is responsible for global warming, so the more carbon we can remove from the air and return to the ground, the better. Spekboom is also known as Pork Bush or Elephant’s Food.

In an initiative to propagate new Spekboom plants, the Eco Club learners, accompanied by SANParks personnel, visited Mountain Drive, where they gathered Spekboom cuttings and then later transferred them to seedling trays in the Park’s nursery.

SANParks will sell these new Spekboom plants to generate an income for their nursery and simultaneously reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

Jnr Results vs Clarendon

The junior rugby and hockey teams faced Clarendon Park Primary School on home ground this past Saturday morning, 27 July.

RUGBY RESULTS

The u/11B team lost 5 – 33, the u/11A team lost 5 – 20 and the u/13B team lost 5 – 17.

In the last match of the day, the u/13A boys worked hard to put their opposition under pressure in challenging conditions.  The first half was closely contested, but Union cemented their dominance in the second half to secure a 29 – 7 win over Clarendon Park.

HOCKEY RESULTS

A polished Clarendon side made a confident start against our 1st team and slotted home their first goal after only 5 minutes. This galvanized our girls into action and they soon regrouped and began to fight back. Shortly before the end of the first half, Union were finally rewarded for their efforts when Caytah-Leigh Koeberg and Leshay Fourie combined successfully to pop a sneaky goal past the keeper.

The second half delivered more fast-paced, exciting hockey and Clarendon again managed to score at the beginning of the half to put them one goal ahead. They continued to put pressure on our girls with many attempts at goal, but the Union girls worked hard to deny them. As the game drew to a close, Soso Mroro made one of her trade-mark break-aways, and the spectators held their breath as she stormed towards the goalbox with seconds to spare. An unfortunate foot fault at the crucial moment denied her the opportunity to equalize and the match ended with a 2 – 1 loss for Union.

2nd team lost 0 – 4

3rds vs u/11A lost 0 – 2