Grade 7 Social 25 June article by Ndzalama Shilubana and photography by Mfundu Malabi

Grade 7 Social

On Thursday the 25^th of June the Grade 7's hosted their second social. It was a black and white themed dance which was very successful. The grade 7's had a little bit of a rocky start with the preparation and issues with the change, but in the end they pulled through hosting an amazing night to remember. The dance had a rather massive turn out of what almost looked like most of the grade 5's and 6's. Everybody was dressed amazingly according to the theme. The night was fun-filled with love, laughter, life, music, and most importantly friendship. It was heart-warming for the grade 7's to see everybody there. They were pleased with the turnout of learners. The dance was the way it was thanks to the grade 7's who helped decorate, the DJ's, the people who handled the money and the people who helped. I hope everyone had an amazing night just like I did.

The DJ's choosing music.

Grade 7s girls chilling at the DJ's table.

Everybody having a good time dancing.

Athletics on Wednesday the 16th of September by Ndzalama Shilubana

Athletics on Wednesday the 16^th of September

On Wednesday the 16^th of September the Senior Prep. athletes attended their first athletics meeting of the year which included the Junior Prep. learners who had already participated in previous meetings. When the athletes arrived they showed great discipline and respect to all those around them. The athletes were running against St Paulus, Tyger Valley College and Loreto School Queenswood. The first track sport was the 1200 m and our first runner who broke the ice was Horia.

A few of the runners from the Senior Prep. who ran this difficult race were:

U/13 - Horia

U/12 - Masi, Lesego, Eric and Lerato

U/11 - Lwazi, Christian and Renee

U/10 - Joel, Khetiwe and Paballo

We also participated in: High Jump, Long Jump, Shotput, 80m Sprints and Relays.

Some of the athletes who participated in these events were:

High Jump: Nisi, Horia, Daniella

Long Jump: Bailey, Masi, Ndza and Nicole

Shotput: Nokwanda, Bruce, Mahima, Khanya.S, Mfundo, Daniella and Delaray

80m sprints: Nicole, Erin, Horia, Gugu

Masi, Refilwe, Josephine, Aidan, Lerato

Luyanda, Lithe, Luc

Khanya, Bianca, Ethan

The last event of the day was what seemed to be the event the athletes were waiting for the whole day, relays!

The U/10 girls had to run twice because the first time they ran they didn’t have the batons and so they had to run at the end again. All the teams ran well especially our senior U/13 team. Even though the girls didn’t pull out a victory, our four runners Nicole, Erin, Daniella and Mfundo pushed and tried their best showing a lot of determination coming third. Our U/13 boys however happened to be the only relay team to pull out a victory. The runners for this team were Nisi, Horia, Thabiso and Gugu. Even though not everyone won, I think they all won their own race by achieving their own goals which is most important and the athletes had a good time. 

I can’t wait to see what the athletes do next time!

5 Things That Make You A Good Leader by Jade Kimberley du Preez

Leadership: A look at what makes a good leader

1.  Be Respectful:

You need to treat others the way you would like to be treated. You need to respect not only elders but everyone around you; that includes children younger than you. You need to be fair to everyone and respect others in order to earn the respect a leader needs to run an event or what he or she is in charge of.

2.  Have Wisdom and Knowledge

One can have knowledge without having wisdom but one cannot have wisdom without knowledge. Knowledge is power. Any powerful leader will have the knowledge to judge right from wrong, even in stressful situations. He or she will also have the wisdom and knowledge to know what is best for the event or company.

 3.  Be Prepared for and Open to Change

All leaders prepare for change by taking into account what is happening in their surroundings. You must not fear change or run away from change but instead welcome it with your arms wide open! Change can be good or bad, but always leads down a new road!

 4.  Be Open-Minded

When listening to complaints or ideas, you need to be unbiased and fair. You can’t take any sides just because (for example) you would rather take your best friend’s side. This can be extremely tough if you don’t want to hurt anyone.

 5.  A Good Communicator

Every leader will be able to carry out any necessary communications between the students and those above you, i.e. the teachers or deputies. You need to listen to others and you must be willing to work with and to understand the intentions and desires of others. If you don’t listen to people, no one will listen to you.

These are just five qualities that a leader displays. A leader is someone who we all need, strong and bold, yet humble, kind and wise, not making quick decisions and handling themselves best in unexpected and uncomfortable situations. You too could become a leader, just a natural one, if YOU display the right qualities.

Poems by Jade Kimberley du Preez

Frozen eyes

I wake up every morning

Only to see

Deep, icy blue eyes

Staring straight at me

Cold and unforgiving ice

Grows without life

And reaches into my soul

Seeing the deepest corners inside of me

In these frozen eyes,

There are endless frozen lakes

And peaks of snow

Only the brave can withstand climbing

But every here and there,

 A patch of hope appears

A patch of bright green

Filled with tall green, trees

That brings hope of life and growth

My mother calls in the distance

And I turn away from the mirror

Bringing Hope

The endless abyss stretches far

It is pitch black

With only a few stars visible

Lonely, and sad

But the twilight breaks

At the corners of the world

As a bright light begins to rise

Bringing hope to those in need

As the light rises,

The monsters of the night

Run and hide

Disappearing one by one

The world starts to light up

First changing from purple to red

And then, to a light, sky blue

The sun rises

Bringing hope

Dragon Boat Festival by Jade Kimberley du Preez

DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

We all know what the dragon boat festival is, but do we know why we celebrate it?

There are many stories behind the festival, but the one that stands out most is that of Qu Yuan.

Qu Yuan was a poet who loved his country and hated to see his country fall into ruins. He was a wise man who was loved by most of the people in China.

Before becoming a poet, he was an advisor to the king of Chu. He warned the King to ally with Qi (one of the seven warring states) so that they could work together to defeat the powerful and feared state of Qin. However, jealous officials accused him of treason and, persuaded by the officials, the King exiled Qu Yuan.

He started writing many poems while in exile, but when the state of Qin conquered the Kingdom of Chu, he fell into great despair and committed suicide by drowning himself in the Mi Lou River.

On hearing of this tragic event, the people living there went out with long boats and threw food such as ‘zong zi’ (rice dumplings) into the river to distract the fish from his body, which was never found.

People continue this tradition on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which was when Qu Yuan died. They also race on long, dragon-shaped boats and eat rice dumplings as a part of tradition.

15 Things You Have To Do Before You Turn 13 by Jade Kimberley du Preez

15 Things You Have To Do Before You Turn 13

1. Watch the sun wake up 2. Invent a made-up language 3. Run around in the rain 4. Say ‘hi’ to a random stranger 5. Build a den (whether its indoors or outdoors) 6. Canoe down a river 7. Help a stranger 8. Roll down a really big hill 9. Climb a tree 10. Light a fire without matches 11. Bury someone in sand 12. Take a tour through a cave 13. Hike on a wild trail 14. Go snorkeling 15. Feed a bird from your hand

New Movie Review: Disney's Descendants by Cheyenne De Sousa

NEW MOVIE REVIEW:

The new Disney movie Descendants, which was released on Friday the 18^th of September is a spectacular movie. There is never a dull moment and the film only continues to please. Descendants is a musical, it has humour but it also has such a heart-warming storyline. It is wonderful to see all of our favourite, classic villains, princes and princesses back with their children after many years. Follow Mal, daughter of Maleficent, Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen, Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil and Jay, son of Jafar, as they are sent by Maleficent to cause mischief across the island where she and the other parents have been banned to. It is an epic and exciting adventure from their home on the Isle of the Lost to the beautiful Auradon. There they meet Ben, son of Belle and the Beast, who is soon to be crowned the king of Auradon. They attend school at Auradon Prep and they meet many of the Heroes’ children. They learn that being “good” is not so bad after all, that they are not their parents and that they can choose their own paths for their future. It is a lively film which the entire family and all your friends can enjoy. 

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