Union High School’s junior rugby teams enjoyed a successful day at the Jeffreys Bay Primary School’s Sports Day on Saturday, 11 May.
The U/11s drew 10 -10 against Victory Christian School, beating Paul Sauer 10 – 0 and Jeffreys Bay Primary 10 – 0.
The U/13As won against McLachlan 25 – 0 as well as against Jeffreys Bay Primary 15 – 5.
Union’s junior hockey teams faced Lorraine Primary on the UHS AstroTurf on Saturday, 11 May.
The 5th juniors lost 1 – 0, the 4th juniors drew 0 – 0, the 5th juniors (in a match against Lorraine’s 6th juniors) won 1 – 0, the 3rd juniors won 4 – 0.
2nd Jnr Team: 1 – 0
On a day where Union had dominated in general, the 2nd team girls did not disappoint. The girls played really well together as a unit and are definitely starting to gel. They worked incredibly hard and were able to hold the determined Lorraine side at bay. Although Union had possession for the majority of the game, it took a long time for our girls to convert their efforts into points on the board. Misha Newton was eventually able to score off a well-worked short corner, putting us into the lead. Despite some nail-biting moments, Union managed to hang onto their tenuous 1 – 0 advantage till the end. Well done to all the girls and especially to Misha Newton and Katelyn Trollip who worked exceptionally hard throughout the game.
1st Jnr Team: 1 – 2
With 4 of our regular 1st team players unable to play on the day, it was a fairly nervous team that took to the field against Lorraine. The girls were on the back-foot from the start and struggled to turn the tide of play, making mistake after panicky mistake and quickly forgetting the basics, especially in defense. They soon conceded a goal, but fortunately managed to limit the first half damage to this.
After a stern talking to at half time, the girls returned to the field focused and ready to make amends. They were finally able to piece together some great runs of play, but without result. Towards the end, the girls began to run out of legs and Lorraine were able to slip another goal past our ragged defenses. In a last ditch effort to improve the goal difference, Soso Mroro made a spectacular individual break, and after beating three players on her own, popped a stunning ball through to Ferronique Booysen who slotted it past the surprised keeper mere moments before the final whistle, making the final score 2 -1 to Lorraine.
Although the girls were disappointed by the result, all the teams enjoyed a wonderful day of hockey played with spirit and sportsmanship. Thank you to all involved and particularly to Kyle-Luke du Preez for your invaluable assistance with coaching and umpiring.
If you have ever lost a phone or a tablet, you know the chances of having it returned to you are slim to none. Those who stumble upon lost phones usually operate on the “finders keepers” premise. They find, they keep. While most of us would never outright steal a phone, the test of honesty really comes down to what you’d do if you found a lost phone or tablet
Union was recently very impressed with the honesty and integrity shown by Grade 9 learner, Mihan Campbell. Mihan happened upon a phone that had been lost by its owner during a sports day at Union. Mihan immediately took steps to ensure that the expensive smartphone was returned to its owner by turning it in to the school’s headmaster.
Well done, Mihan!
At Union, we firmly believe that good deeds should be recognized, it’s not every day the world shows you honesty and integrity, and actions such as these deserve to be recognised by the community.
The boarders at Union’s Arthur Kingwill House held their annual braai on Workers’ Day, 1 May,
This time around, they were joined by Max Kroon House’s little ones who were entertained by Head Prefect, Peter Watermeyer, and Head of House, Khanya Butshingi, who played ball games with the boys.
It wasn’t long, however, before Mr. Christopher Felix and the rest of the boys started with their “famous” AKH touchies rugby
A huge bonfire and marshmallow braai ended off the evening for the Max Kroon boys before they went to bed.
It truly was a chilled, fun way to spend a mid-week holiday.
Nice one, guys!
Members of Union High School’s management team, Mrs. Yvette Cloete and Mrs. Nelia Read, are among hundreds of school leaders, academics, experts, policymakers and other key stakeholders from around the country, attending the SAOU Leaders’ Conference at the Mpekweni Beach Resort, taking place today and tomorrow, Friday and Saturday, 10 and 11 May.
This conference, hosted by the South African Teachers’ Union (SAOU), offers Union…’s representatives a unique opportunity to analyse current trends in education, issues and debates around quality inclusive leadership and to share experiences and ideas on how to move the educational agenda forward.
Seen here are Union’s representatives Mrs. Yvette Cloete and Mrs. Nelia Read, with the members of the management teams of two other local schools represented at the conference, Mrs. Santa Potgieter (Laer Volkskool), Mrs. Henriëtte Malan (Hoër Volkskool) and Rita de Villiers (Laer Volkskool).
A gala banquet, organised by Union High School as part of the school’s year-long centenary celebrations, was held on a grand scale in Graaff-Reinet this past Friday evening, 3 May.
And, what a truly memorable evening it turned out to be with just over 250 guests, young and old, past and current parents and staff, Old Unionites as well as honoured guests, treated to a very special night.
Upon arrival, the guests were met with welcome drinks and canapés on the school’s beautiful sportsgrounds and as the sun set, were enthralled by a variety of performances by the school’s marimba band, choir ensembles, musicians and soloists. It was then on to a lavish banquet inside the Marquee tent, magnificently decorated for the occasion.
Headmaster William Pringle delivered a welcoming address, using the opportunity to thank everyone involved in the centenary celebrations.
The evening’s Master of Ceremonies, Adrian Arnott – the son of the legendary headmaster Herby Arnott – then proceeded to introduce a number of speakers.
During the speeches that followed, the phrase “The past beats inside me like a second heart” as extracted from John Banville’s novel ’The Sea’ is the only apt way of describing the sense of nostalgia, pride and enthusiasm that radiated from all those present, creating a fantastically festive atmosphere within the Marquee.
After a few treasured words by guest speaker Derek Light, previous chairman of the UPS and UHS Governing Bodies and current chairman of the Union High Development Trust, the evening’s keynote speaker was introduced.
For this special occasion, Union High School called on the services of a very special guest to help celebrate its centenary banquet with style. Old Unionite, Doug Stern, proved a fitting keynote speaker, as the proud alum referred to Union’s illustrious history spanning the past 100 years, interspersed with quaint anecdotes about the visionaries and legendary characters that shaped the school into what it is today.
Following Stern’s speech, guests were treated to a sumptuous three-course meal, served up by Dianne Murray and her capable team, after which the draw for the Old Unionite’s Association’s 100Club was conducted and a magnum bottle of ‘Chakalaka’ wine auctioned off by Duncan McClaggan.
The guests were clearly keen to support Union, as the R10 000 1st prize of the 100Club draw was graciously donated back to the organisation, with the wine also fetching the hefty sum of R5 000.
After all the formalities were finalised, the guests took to the dancefloor and proceeded to dance the night away.
“The evening was a huge success and a great coming together of people from over several decades who travelled from far and near,” Headmaster William Pringle stated. “Throughout the evening we witnessed great interaction between the various age groups from past pupils or people who have strong links with the school. It was a magical evening and the commitment by all who helped in organising the event, as well as all who supported the event, bears testament to why Union has achieved so much these past 100 years,” Pringle said afterwards.
Union High School extends a big thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the evening, especially to the spectacular team, headed up by Karin Marais, who coordinated the marquee, décor and the evening’s programme to ensure an unforgettable and most enjoyable occasion.
Commemorative wine availableOne of Union High School’s Centenary Projects has been the bottling of a limited Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage 2015, produced by Fairview Estates. The label of this elegant bottle of wine was designed by Old Unionite Mieke Marais and depicts the historic façade of the school along with the Centenary logo
This wine is available from the school at R600 a case or R100 a bottle. Buyer to arrange own courier.
Contact Mrs. Marais at 049 891 0262 or email secretary@unionschools.co.za to place your order.
Union High School’s Eco-Amazing Race is exactly one month away! Remember to secure your entry to stand a chance of winning one of the amazing prizes that will be up for grabs. All teams will walk away with a prize!
We invite families of 4 to enter this fun-filled event (no more than 2 adults on a team). The entry fee per team is R100. There are only 10 spots available, so first come, first serve.
For further information, or to request an entry form, please contact Mrs. Burger on 049 891 0262 or e-mail uhsmarketing@unionschools.co.za
When Burgersdorp High School’s hockey teams visited UHS on Saturday morning, 4 May, they found themselves on the back foot from the get-go, when their u/16A team went down 6 – 0 to Union’s u/16Bs.
Burgersdorp’s second team also conceded six unanswered goals as Union u/16As cruised to a 6 – 0 victory. A great achievement for the u/16As in taking on a senior team
Union’s first team girls then took to the turf. They struggled to keep possession for lengthy periods of the first half and failed to convert chances on offer.
Goals by Henze Jaftha, Rosslyn Sparks and Marche Green in the first half, however, saw Union lead by 3 – 0 at half time.
It was, however, a game of two halves with the Union girls seeming to find their flair in the second half. Union managed to score a further 6 goals with an improved performance. Goals by Rosslyn Sparks, Jenna McNaughton, Laetitia Theron (2), Micela Loock and Jade Shires sealed a 9 – 0 victory.
“There is much work needed to be done this week ahead of a tough fixture against Stirling High School this weekend,” says coach Alvin August.
“The tone will need to set from the word go in order to come home successful.”
Behind every invention or new innovation is a person who saw a problem or an opportunity and invented a solution or a new device.
One such bright mind is Zack Botha, a Grade 6 learner at Union High School. While sitting in Mathematics one day, inspiration hit him, and he proceeded to ‘upcycle’ two everyday stationery items, an empty Pritt glue stick and an old pencil sharpener. From these two items, Zack created a pencil sharpener with a catchment.
“While it can be bought, this is an easy and cheap way to create a pencil sharpener that you can use at your desk without having to walk to the wastebasket every time you need to sharpen a pencil,” says Zack.
Maybe one day Zack will develop a world-changing new invention, who knows?
All we can say is that at Union, we’re big fans of innovation in all its forms, and we just love it when our learners think out of the box to create something inspired!
On Monday afternoon, 6 May, Union High School’s chess players competed in an individual Swiss Open chess tournament in Middelburg.
This tournament served as the second round of trials to select a team to represent the Chris Hani Chess District at the South African Junior Chess Championship to be held in Johannesburg in early January 2020.
Union will soon hear who will be invited to participate in the closed tournament in August, where it will be determined which Union players will represent the district and the school at a national level.