E St Stithians Girls' CollegeA South African School Making a World of Difference

3 2003

Heads' Address

This address was given by Mrs Acquisto and Mr McLachlan at the 2004 Academic AwardsEvening.

owards theend of lastyear theexecutivemembers of

all the schools tooktime to look at thestrategic vision forSt Stithians College.It was agreed thatthe existing visionwas still relevant andcould be used to leadthe College into thefuture. The visionis embodied in ourstatement of strategic

intent A South African School making a World ofDifference"; our motto One and All" and The SaintsHonour Honour God. Honour Others, Honour Self:this is elaborated on in the Saints Prayer.

From this vision, we decided that the following issueswould continue to be focus areas in our school:Gender, Communication / PR / Marketing, Spirituality,Transformation, Governance, Parent Involvement,Inclusion Policy and Practice Curriculum

Tonight our focus will be on the first of thesegender. Our co-ordinate model is perfectly and

uniquely placed to look at the gender issues in ourcountry and in our world in a new way,

Through discussions, our leadership programmesand our extra-curricular activities, we have theopportunity to create an atmosphere of respect forgender differences and similarities.

Moreover, in most of our academic classes, wecan focus on the learning styles, strengths andweaknesses of our specific genders thereby creatingschools that incorporate the best of monastic and co-educational instruction.

Tonight, Mr McLachlan, the Headmaster of the Boys'College, and i will be giving you our thoughts withregard to gender gleaned from conferences attendedlast year and other information that we havegathered.

I was privileged enough to go to Sydney to attenda conference called Knowing Women GrowingGirls i Mr McLachlan will give you the latest input

from the annual Boys' Conference in Australia. Thisinformation has been shared with our staff and withall the Independent School Heads in South Africa,

We went to visit a number of schools during theconference. As South Africans, we tend to putourselves down. Australia raved about South Africanteachers and South African pupils. Our schools needto be PROUDLY South African. We all need to talk upour good news. It is good for us, for our personal andnational self-esteem.

I came away With a strong theme : Give Childrenvoice". Parents and teachers need to move fromcentre stage and to listen more attentively to ourchildren and to respect them by giving them spacesto have opinions and to hear their opinions. Thismeans that our children need our presence. We needto be there to hear them not always to agree withthem but to be present for those opportunitieswhen they talk.

According to Gary Chapman, best selling author ofThe Five Love Languages for Teens, our girls and boysneed words of affirmation; healthy physical touch;quality time; acts of service and gifts not paymentfor services, manipulation or bribery and deals,

Another interesting point made by Carol Gilligan, agender specialist who came out to South Africa tovisit our school, was that during adolescence girlstend to cover up their authentic voices for the voicethat is socially pleasing. They often, therefore, speakin two voices. We need them to hear their authenticvoice and to encourage them to say what they mean.Boys are very adept from an early age, from fourto six, at emotionally reading others, However,they are sociallsed to cover up their real voices withsocially acceptable ones.

The home and school need to encourage truth, a vastspectrum of emotional understanding and compassionand reSilience in our girls and boys. We need to helpthem remain in tune with themselves and not tosilence their true voices.

We learned that women and girls, through theiremancipation, have many more choices, However,unlimited freedom and unlimited choices makewomen believe that unless they do it all and haveit all NOW, they are failures. Our schools need tohelp girls to learn to search for a balance amongst amyriad of available options.

PRINCIPAL

What about men?

We need to teach our girls that there is a cost towanting the world. They must make choices with theireyes wide open. Freedom comes with choices andchoices have consequences. We do not need to haveeverything now » there is time for every good thing.

lobally our world is concerned aboutboys education and the role of boys andmen in our soCiety. The old order hasgone together with the stereotypes ofour forefathers. We need to redefine

roles and to explore what makes a man in the letCentury.

Emancipation is good. Critical evaluation of our rolesis good. Boys and girls need to believe that they cando anything and that buying into stereotypes found inthe media can be debilitating. Through cooperation,boys and girls can help each other be their absolutebest!

Drs Kathy and Ken Rowe raised our awareness thatour generation of learners suffer from AuditoryProcessing difficulties. Our girls and boys aredrowning in auditory and visual input. What theyare really looking for however is relationships.Relationships require PRESENCE and TIME

Relationship, is the key factor in growing adolescents.Relationship is at the core of all learning. The bottomline is that boys and girls learn from teachers notfrom subjects. They learn from what their parentsand teachers do and not what they say. The realcurriculum is what happens between the people inthe classroom, on the sports field and in the home.No school can rise above the personnel in the StaffRoom. It is not easy for your daughter or your son torise above the home.

They need to have healthy relationships withthemselves, with others, with their extended families,grandparents, their family history and a relationshipwith a power greater than themselves, so thatthey can have a definite sense of connectedness,

rootedness, and purpose in their lives. As the worldwe inhabit spins faster and faster and our time isincreasmgly constrained, we all need to get a grip onthe important things in our lives.As parents, our children are loaned to us for us to beparents and mentors ~ not to be their friends theycan choose friends of their own.

Our schools are committed to building relationships.We will strive, with your help, to make these girls andboys the finest they can be. We want men who arecaring and yet comfortable with their vulnerability;men who are compassionate, yet filled With thatfierceness of spirit.

The same is true of girls. Gone is the role modellingof brainless, giggling blondes useful only as trophies.

2 ] MlmstmGIRL S COLLEGE 2003

Our schools are committed to nurturing Intelligentgirl leaders, not at the expense of boys, not at theexpense of being wholly who we are - feminine girlswho choose direction by the vision of God in theirlives girls who are so strong on the inside that theycan choose to be gentle with others.

In Ms Barbara Lepani's talk, heads and educators inAustralia were challenged to go beyond cleverness"to valuing wisdom" through the teaching of focus,discipline and values in a world which presentedextremes, materialism and consumerism. Our youthare seeking the spiritual, not necessarily religioniWe need to provide our girls and boys with spiritualanchors. We need - all of us at home and at school

to teach these values.

The lack of development of one's spirituality or abelief in the intangible can have a profoundly negativeeffect on a young person. As fewer and fewer familiesattend traditional religious institutions and there arefew facilitating the asking of the important questions,a spiritual vacuum can occur. Often the only spiritualconnection boys and girls have is at a school suchas this one. Their spirit is apparent for everyone tosee, but we need to help them to engage in theirsoulfulness.

It is saddening and frightening to know that manygirls and boys around the world are described asspiritual anorexics" who do not believe in anythingincluding themselves. Our school offers a Christian

gauge for our girls and boys. This blessing is part ofour church school heritage.

Linked to growing spiritually, Prof Alma Fleet inSydney spoke about a school in a town called ReggioEmilia in Italy, where young children are given a voiceand where peace is taught in the curriculum. Peacehas to be worked out. It does not happen by chance.Peace is not only the absence of noise or the absenceof war. Peace means working on relationships < ourrelationship With God, with others and with ourselves.Nelson Mandela is a great role model of this quality ofPeace being WORK.

Dr Needham, together with some girls from herschool, spoke to us of ways of making studentspartners in learning and research and of raisingleadership opportunities for teenagers. The Girls andBoys Colleges believe in the servant leadership modelwhich states: Everyone can be a leader. Leadershipis knowing your ideal self. Leadership is only found incommunity. Leadership is primarily about service.

Our schools provide wonderful opportunities forskills relating to leadership. Our motto and our coordinate model provide the opportunity for men andwomen of the future to negotiate together their rolein achieving peace and success rather than relyingon the rule book written by men that women don'tunderstand, because women were not around to

make those rules then. Girls and boys of the letCentury, coming from a school of this nature, areexpected to become leaders - not in competition withone another, not at the expense of the other but inco-operatively sewing and helping each other be theirabsolute best.

Dr JoAnn Deak, an international speaker, educatorand school psychologist, gave wonderful input onbrain development and optimal learning environmentsfor boys and girls. We are cautioned by Dr Deak toalways remember the 80:20 principle when looking atbrain research 80% of the time the pattern will holdtrue, while there will always be 20% for whom thepattern or trend does not hold In other words, theexceptions to the rules that avoid stereotyping malesand females.

Her latest book Girls will be girls raising confidentand courageous daughters" mentions the followinginteresting facts proved by the latest research. Thereis no such thing as pure left or right brain thinkinge all the parts of the brain are used all of the time.However, the emphasis between boys and girls isdifferent. The amygdala is the emotional part ofthe brain and when an issue strikes an emotionalchord in a girl, then the thinking in the cortex willbe influenced negatively, whereas boys will generallymove to the cortex alone. Therefore emotionalstability is critical before girls can learn successfully.

Carol Gilligan says that to set up a competitiveculture between men and women createsneurologically a loss of pleasure. We are wired forco-operative behaviour. When co-operation occurs,

With apologies to Rudydrd Kipling, we conclude with an adapted version of his poemcalled IF which embodies what we want out of the gender education ofour girls and

boys.

fyou can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all people doubt

YourBut make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

0r being lied about, don't deal in lies,0r being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;If you can dream and not make dreams your

master;

If you can think , and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;if you can bear to hear the truth you ve spoken

---our neurons actually light up. The stereotype thatmales thrive on competition may in fact be a myth.

Dr Deak stressed that we all have different brainsand therefore different styles of learning. Here sheused the continuum of a forest and a tree. All peoplewill fall somewhere in the continuum. Tree people willneed the details, while the forest people need thebroad outline. As parents and educators we need tobe aware of styles of learning. Girls will tend moreto the side of the tree people wanting all the details,while boys like the bigger picture and the ultimatepurpose. This needs to be understood in every aspectof life.

The value of girls' only education is that it provideswomen with the opportunity to break the glassceiling" , to be the leaders of the future and to liveout their emancipation.

Boys' only education can train boys to break thevictim mentality that seems pervasive where boys/men turn to be aggressors. Boys can learn throughgreat relationships and great role»modeling that theycan be emancipated men men who are not tieddown to being stereotyped into old roles men whocan dare to be themselves.

History is not something that happens to us. Historyis something WE make . May we use this magni centopportunity in our co-ordinate model to make ahistory of peace and co-operation between gendersand peoples in South Africa.

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,And stoop and build em up With worn out tools;IF you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,Or walk with Kings ~ nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;If all people count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that s in it,And what's more, Africa will raise its voice in pride

To shout out, Ingane yami, well done! My child, welldone! Kiwi/Md WW

i

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Community Service:The Power of One

ommunity Service for 2003 focused onmobilizing individuals to take up the challengeof making a difference By demonstratingthe Power of One (one person makingone signi cant contribution in one signi cant

area), Saint Stithians Girls College was able to makean impact on the lives of many - both individually andcollectively.

The CommitteeSeven girls from Grade 12 served as leaders on theCommunity Service Committee.There was no ostentation aboutthis leadership, as service , by itsvery nature, does not shout to benoticed. We appreciate these girlsfor their gifts of planning, leading,organizing and controlling regularservices and special events.

The WorkCommunity Service/CommunityPartnerships provided numerousopportunities to becomeinvolved in the lives of peopleand communities. Learnerinvolvement in serwce hascontinued to grow - building onthe excellent model establishedin past years. The leadershipand enthusiasm of tutors haveenabled a wider body of girlsto become practically involved.Every girl in the school has beeninvolved in Community Serviceto some degree. The scope,

4 WSGIRBCOLLEGE zoos

I

breadth, and width of services ranged from weeklyservice in institutions, schools and children's homes toproject and support initiatives.

Oasis and Acres of Love are homes for abandonedbabies, many of whom are HIV positive. Our girls havebeen involved on a daily basis, assisting the caregiversof these homes. Mr John Mcbride and Mr ThomasHagsplhl facilitated a team of girls who went weekly toLetsibogo High School in Soweto to assist in Science andMathematics. St Mungo's Church runs The Setlamo Centre

for Education prowding tutoring inMaths and English. Assisting at StMungo's was a team of girls whospent their Saturday morningsteaching both adults and children.A number of girls attended theSPCA on a regular basis to playwith the animals, take them forwalks, and wash and groom themin addition, the girls providedregular gi s of tinned food andblankets, as well as helping withsome of the administrative needsof the agency.

Campus Sen/iceOpportunitiesIn the past year girls didswitchboard duty; worked in theSaints A ercare; hosted in theV.I.P. tents at special events;weeded the labrynth, and openedup their homes to variousinternational delegates for theRound Square Conference.

w} 4-;

Re lwe Community ProjectRe lwe Community Project [5 Situated in an informalsetting on the outskirts of Johannesburg. It was foundedin 1992, by Yvonne Jaques and Jean Stewart, in thecorner of a small mission hall. The project comprises thefollowmg elements:

... . Christian Clinic: primary health care clinic, mobile clinic,and TB treatment facility

2. The 9 bed hospice3. Re lwe Primary School: currently hosting 67 pupils

from Grade 1 to 44. Children s Care Centre: hostel for 14 children

between the ages of 2 to 13 yrs5. Twananani Nursery SchoolSt Skills Development and ActiVity Training

Refilwe Community Proiect has been adopted by thegirls of St Stithians as the core Community ServicePartnership » receiving at least 60% of the overall outreachcommitment of time, resources, and Financial investment.

The girls were involved in all aspects of the proiect. TWicea week, under the guidance of Mrs Joan Buckley and MrsVicky Chilvers, the Retilwe community looked human:to having the girls Visit the area in order to assist in thenursery and primary school afternoon activities.

A number of the Re lwe highlights for the year includedspecial projects involving learners from St Stithiansand children of the Refilwe community - such as thenursery school trip to the 200; the primary school trip

to the movies and an outing to McDonalds; a picnic forboth Re lwe schools on the property of St Stithians anda speoal community clean up involvmg internationaldelegates from the Round Square Conference.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Re lwe CleanupOn Saturday 20 September 75 international delegates, 10Saints volunteers, 3 staff and the community of Refilwejoined forces in a cleanup campaign. The outing was oneof 5 options offered on that Saturday of the Round SquareConference. The need was identi ed by the Re lwecommunity itself.

51060 ! PrOJECfS2004 saw the girls commitment to outreach not onlyto budding ongoing relationships but to doing thingswhich will enhance the quality of life for others. On ourcampus we hosted 3 blood drives one a term) whichinvolved those who . l g blood. Each

term a civvies day and food drive was held in order toprovide tinned foods and staples to the Re lwe project.The money raised was used to enable the schools tohave educational outings. In addition, the Girls Schoolhosted two Sandwiches Days when girls brought extrasandwiches to give to the Re lwe Project. Over 2000sandwmhes were given to the community.

Tutor GroupsTutor groups climbed on board the project wagon bysponsoring school fees for both the nursery school and theprimary school. R7500-00 was given just in sponsorshipfor these fees. Many of the groups took the time to doadditional things for the individuals they were sponsoring

~ such as donating clothes and other necessities. Anotherspecial project was the making of items for the people atRe lwe by each house in the school.

Support SerwcesIn diverse ways our girls have been giving. We haverelied upon girls to provide baked biscuits, cakes, muf nsand loaves for weekly club meetings. Seldom did we goempty handed to Refilwe. We were able to spend a daymaking fruit salad for 120 people with the children ofRefilwe, because our girls donated all of the fruit. Thefreezer was regularly supplied with frozen meals to assiststaff and families in crises. Winter was a time of knittingneedles and blankets being made for those who weresuffering from the cold. There was a constant streamof jumble being streamlined from the school to theappropriate agency,

Religious Education OutingsThe Grade 8 and Grade 9 learners had the privilege ofupholding the school philosophy of the Three Journeys(Honour God, Honour Self, and Honour Others) by takingpart in weekly Religious Education outings as part of theschool curriculum.

The curriculum called Christ s Love in Action" involvedthe girls going into the community during the schoolday. These outings catered to a cross section of people-young, elderly, disabled and marginalized.

Feelings And Sentiments Expressed By >Some of The Girls Involved In Community5ewrce:Community Service reminds us of what we have.It helps us to meet others less fortunate."We feel very united with Re lwe... kinda well-bonded.It is very rewarding.It gives the new Grade 85 a chance to interact with eachother and the rest of the school.I like the fact that it is ongoing and that there are manyways to contribute."it really feels like we are making a difference in thecountry- in our own small way .Community Service is teaching girls about life andcommitment.

Ml r l/. [Iu/pm

Grade 8 Campy first thought of Grade 8 camp was dreadI didn t want to go.When I came homeAll I felt was pride.

Caitlin Muller

My eyes barely openembraced the school song,singing as we becameSAINTS.My heart barely beatinglying on the floor,smelling the sweet scentof UNITY of ONE.

Hm Mmuw

GreatRadicalAwesomeDominated by the MatricsExciting

Experiences newInterestingGames of all sortsHot!!Tirlng at some points

. unControlable excitement

7 Amazmg' Matric buddies were the best

Peace and quiet I have learnt to push myself to the limit...to work. hard in every opportunity that is offered and always

I " [mm Wumlx try my best. I have learned to deal with hard thingson my own before I would always ask for help

before trying on my own Grade 8 camp taught me to be responsible. The Matricswere great, the food was great ...... EVERYTHINGwas great! We learnt new things and got better at oldthings. Altogether it was a spectacular way to learn Take 3 days Of magic

the fun way! and all that we have done,Add a bunch of Grade 85, some help

lame run an and we are one!

Grade 8 camp Merrill #11??me

Was just plain fun,1 met new people andmade new friends (more thanone!)We gained school spiritAnd at midnight we proved it!I came back homewith more knowledge theneverand I knew these peoplewould bein my heart forever!

OLeadership from Matrics0 Getting to know and share our unique

differences0 The games we played were all about trustand leading each other. It showed that we

could trust and ask each other for helpas a school.I Getting to know more aboutGod and his wonders.0 Most of all THE GREAT FUN WE

HAD!

id mung/1 MM/Qawn who 3114144444

Grade 9 Jubilee CampThe concept of a venue for a prolonged camp for Grade 95 has long been on the wish list" of St Stithians Girls College.However the current socio-economic climate in South Africa makes it dif cult to ful l such a desire.St Stithians Girls College continued to believe in the educational value of a prolonged camp at a remote site. In thiscamp, the girls would be free of the complications and demands of city life, in a safe, peaceful environment where theycould have the opportunity to explore untapped depths in nature and in themselves.We were fortunate enough to nd a way to make our vision of an extended Grade 9 camp a reality in John and MerrynTurner. At Babanango Valley Lodge they have the physical facilities and the vision needed to make our dream areality.

Life s obstacles can occur to strengthen our children in unique ways and draw out the best in them. When abutter y emerges from its cocoon, there is a great struggle. If you were to cut open the cocoon in order to spare thenew butter y this struggle, it would soon die. The struggle to get out is needed to build the wing muscles. Withoutthe struggle, the butterfly will never fly, but will die instead. In a similar way, for our children to grow strong and y

free in this world, they need particular kinds of struggle and a particular kind of support.John Gray : Children are from Heaven

After numerous meetings with all parties involved, 84 anxious Grade 9 girls and four intrepid staff members set out forBabahango Valley Lodge. 18 days later a spirited, disciplined and coherent group returned fuller" - in every senseof the word.

We camped in tents and enjoyed an action packed time. The formal activities were based on working towards materialfor the Learning Areas.

When I was leaving, withoutmy cell phone, I felt as ifIwas going to war without anyweaponslI now feel I have won thewar and not having weaponsdid not matter. I no longer

My outcomes feel I need weapons for thewar" of life.

Every girl s nightmare » three weeks away from home, with no civilisation, in the middle of nowhere, trying to

understand what the point of the situation was. This was how I felt as I boarded the bus which was to take me to aplace I knew I did not want to go to. All I could think about were the negative aspects of the camp...the ghting, the

homesickness, work! I knew life was going to change, but for good or bad I was not sure.

I smile as I think back to how close minded and immature I was. As the end of the camp drew nearer, Ijust wishedI could stay there longer. This experience was the most awesome and rewarding one of my life and it helped me in

every possible way. Before I went to Bush School, I did not know who I was or where I had come from. I was living mylife for other people, not for myself. Being alone those weeks made me realise how wrong i was. I managed to ndout a lot more about myself, about how I want to live my life and the person I would like to be. I learnt to be more

independent and more responsible. My moral values and what I believe in grew so strong that I am now more tolerantand sensitive of others and their differences. I have grown as a person and I am not afraid to be different anymore.

i have become friends with people in whom, in other circumstances, I would not necessarily have been interested.Respect for others became important and we bonded as a grade.

Most of all I was able to become ME. My mask was lowered and for the rst time my true colours were able to shinethrough. My life did change, but for the better. Bush School was an experience that made me me. I will never forget

that.

jenny Hrwr'h

BUSH SCHOOL

n the morning of 20 July 2003, the Grade9s got up from their very soft, very warmand very bouncy beds. We showered inhot showers, ate breakfast while sitting ata table and brushed our teeth in our own

bathrooms Little did we know how much we wouldappreciate these luxuries later on and how unusual theywould become to us,

The day of departure for Bush School had finally arrived.We arrived at the car park at about 8:00 with all ofour luggage - we were allowed one Saints tog bag. Weeach packed our two HUGE tog bags, sleeping bag, highdensity foam mattress and daypack in the bus and thenjoined the rest of the rather uncertain»looking grade.After a message from Mrs Acquisto and managing todetach ourselves from our parents, we were off.

Singing, eating, sleeping, eating, talking and eating,we drove past elds of, well, grass. And cows. Eatingthe grass. Our rst stop was at Standerton. Next stop:Dundee. We stocked up on sweets and as we left ourlast proper, ciVIlIzed place, we all knew: next stop -Babanango. Finally, after a total of about Six hours ofdriving, we turned onto a gravel road and saw a signBabanango Valley Lodge , 3 km A lodge? They didn't

say we were staying in lodge! We turned a bend andwe saw it: Brick walls, green grass, sw1mmmg pool. Ourimage of Babanango was soon shattered, as we drovestraight past this Utopia towards a campsite with tentsand replace. Even our apprehension couldn't stop usfrom noticing the beautiful surroundings.Babanango is situated in a beautiful valley betweenNewcastle and Ulundi. There is no traf c, no TV, nocomputer, no signal and no pollution (except for the fewveld res).

We were greeted by the teachers, facilitators and Johnand Meryn Turner, the owners. We didn t know whatto expect, as we gathered around the replace. Wewere told the rules and after that, our most dreaded

1a sNNi asTlTl-llANS GlRLS COLLEGE 2803

Grade 9 Bush School: A Personal Perse

.pectlve

moment: the tent groups. 1 don't think any of us haddone maths so quickly. Twelve tents, six in a tent...whatare my chances of being with my iends,.? As ourgroups were revealed, there were exclamations suchas Ves and Noooo and But she sleepwalks! andShe snores! - but we settled in and made ourselves

comfortable.

The food at Babanango was delicious. While we werethere, we had llet, chops, potatoes in mushroom sauce,coffee/toffee cake, milk tart...to name a few!

We went on a night hike on the rst evening The starswere spectacular. The terrain was bushveld surroundedby mountains and hills, so it was very rocky. Withouttorches, we set out in single le, lead by one of thefacilitators. Screams and squeals could be heard asmany of us discovered that there were cows in the areaand the large, dark spots on the ground weren t rocks...Arriving back at camp, we had hot chocolate and wewere inside our sleeping bags in no time. That was onlythe rst day, Was it only a taste of what was to come?

From there on, things went really quickly. (For the rsttwo days, we studied History.) The next day, somerisked getting up early to have hot showers. We cookedour breakfast on woks on the re, got onto the bussesand drove to the Battle elds.

The theme was the Anglanqu war. We visitedIsandhlwana battlefield where the Zulus defeated the

- British. We also climbed the mountain of Isandhlwana,which was one of our outdoor pursuits. (Outdoorpursuits are activities such as mountain climbing, hiking,etc. There were ten outdoor pursuits). It was quitea climb, but we knew it was all worthwhile when wereached the trig beacon at the top. We also learnt aboutand Visited Rorke s Drift. The fact that we visited thebattle elds and museums made the topic much moreinteresting than it would've been had it been taught in aClassroom.

Before I came on camp Idid not feel positive at all

I started imagining alot of terrible things...I feltpretty gloomy, rather likea soldier about to ght in awar and being brave about

it. Now I disagree withmyself completely [feelreally t and healthy. ithas been great and I feel

very happy,

We vislted the town of Babanango, which was quite aneye-opener for all of us! We had to study the town: theshops, services and infmstructure. We also visited anRDP settlement on the way back. During the next fewdays, we did river studies, solitaires (sitting on yourown somewhere in the bush for 30 minutes to onehour), we climbed mountains, jogged, hiked, and swamin the river. Now that is a story on its own! Some ofthe adventurous girls among us decided to take on theoutdoor pursuit called Polo Bear Club" Every morningat 6:30, they drove off to the (extremely freezing) river,jumped in, climbed out shivering, then came back todefrost at the re. Most of us found the onenteeringactivity particularly challenging. It was similar toan enlarged treasure hunt. Some walked up to tenkilometers. Those who became lost did a few more!

Of course, we had schoolwork to do as well, We hadenough free time, and kept ourselves busy by playinggames, going for walks, reading and of course, doingour washing. Some of our evening activities involvedplaying Stalk the Lantern and group dynamics.

There were a few de nite highlights of the camp, theCamp out" being one of them. We were given a map

and had to nd our way to the camp-out location, whichwas about seven kilometers away, over mountainsand through rivers. Hot and sweaty, we nally arrivedthere. We had to make our own res, fetch our waterfrom the stream, and cook our own food. It was anunbelievable experience sleeping under the stars insleeping bags (and many layers of clothing!), althougha little grass bump sticking into your back did get a littleuncomfortable after a while.

Time ew by and before we knew it, it was our last dayat Babanango. Our last evening arrived, and only thendid we realize how much we would miss Babanangoi

On the morning of 7 August, we packed up, cleanedthe camp and said our goodbyes. As we climbed ontothe buses, there was a dreary atmosphere among us.We sang a few last war cries, and were off. We retracedour tracks past Dundee, then Standerton, and whenSandton came into view, we knew we were back home.

All in all, Bush School was an adventurous, once in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you to all the teachers whovisited us (and for bringing our letters from home.) Aspecial thank you to Mrs Buckley, Ms Mullen, Ms Skeggsand Ms Tasker for being such sports and making it anunforgettable experience for all of us!Daltw e (imam;

What did you e by most about Bush5%an

The treasure hunts were the best! (Although the onlytreasure was a note that said Well done, you can hikeback to camp now for a cold shower ) And Solitaire'

chilling by the river with your friends, chatting andhaving water ghts and just relaxing!"3mm: Elamlee/

The night walk and sitting around the re chatting tonew and old friends"szmn»

Everything The opportunity to get to know others andnd out more about your friends.71.4mm;

Finding friends I never thought I d be friends with, theactivities, the tents, and the environment. I d go back tolive there!, reg Zulu

Finding friends and becoming independant". item Fmidi

Grade 10 camp at Chameleon April 2003Our group of Grade Tens knew nothing of what was headed our way. We had only heard of the spedacular things thathad taken place in previous years. We packed our bags, some much lighter than others, with the necessities for thenext couple of days. This, of course, included excess amounts of food (in case of starvation). We set off for the camp

the camp that was to challenge every skill we had.

We arrived at Chameleon where we were welcomed by the group leaders and were shown where we were to lodge forthe following nights. Would we survive a triple-decker bunk bed? The next few days were followed by some daringactivities, such as rock climbing and abseiling. Our brains were also put to the test when we were challenged with

some simple games that turned out to be not so simple. Coordination played an important role in carrying a golf ballthrough a tunnel of pipes, along with immense amounls of concentration and group work

The greatest challenge and lesson to learn was how to transform a group of girls into a team. Without working asa team, building a raft, carrying a suspended tin full of water or nding our way in the bush would never have been

possible. Lessons such as these are treasured forever. We will never forget the tough times, the easy times, but mostof all the great memories shared with old friends and new.

12 SAINTS STlTHlANS GIRLS' COLLEGE 2(D3

2003 Confirmation Camp.

Confirmation Camp took place at the Rocky Valley campsrte. I think most of the people in my confirmation class wentto camp thinking what most of us think about camps, Oh no, not another camp, plus we re probably gmng to praythe whole time' But camp wasn't bad at all. Yes we prayed, climbed a mountain, went on obstacles made only for

monkeys and bonded With people we nevei even knew eXIsted: this included God, for some,

The highlights of the Camp for me would have to be showng bananas into people s mouths Without using our handsor mouths. Those being led had stockings over their heads and that was pretty funny. And we had a deep Saturday

night sitting around the campfire, thinking about where we want to be with the Lord in our relatlonships. Then we wentInto the hall. It was beautiful, It was dark and all you could see on the large floor were little candles in the shape ofa cross. All we did in the hall was pray, think and pray even more. After that night, all of us who went into that hallto pray came out of there different, Even if it was a slight difference, each one of us came out of that hall a changed

person, much closer to God.

limp/luv! Ml/n l/Ku'u

:14 mmmmmusGum COU.EGE 2003

An Overview of Cultural Activities

Culture has certainly been heating up things at the Girls College this year with events such as our annual Interhouse ArmFestival, FAME The Musical, RAPS, SACEE Debating and various music eisteddfods, competitions and concerts. As always,the Cultural Committee has risen to the occasion to cushion the administrative blow that often occurs when workingwith artists, and to form a representative powerhouse to see to the cultural needs of each individual within the school(a protection of what we like to call their artistic rights ). And what a year it has been. Our formal portfolio included theInterhouse Arts Festival, which seems to be growing from strength to strength, as well as the cultural side of Celebrate2003. Above this, our primary goal this year has been the promotion of the vast cultural activities within the school thatinclude Drama, Debating, Public Speaking, Music, Choir and Art. 2003 has truly been The Year of the Artist!

Tummm Mrr rr nlay

Choir

The Con Brio Ensemble was very active incommunity service this year. They performedat Homes for the Aged. Other performancesincluded the Symphony of Light andChapel services.The chair was awarded a rst prize at theSains Ensemble Evening and performedas Guest artists at the Jubilee Ball. Theirperformance at the Celebration of Schoollife " was the nal perfor e of the choirin 2003.

Mini :Lu' 5/4

here are many events which take place annuallywhich help to extend the girls in all directions,

Some of the highlights are as follows:In the rst term:

I The Interhouse Arts FestivalI The fabulous show, Fame

In the second term the most time consuming events were:I External exams for both Unisa and Trinity, boththeory and practical;I Ans Festival with Night of the Stars competitions;I Founders Day;I Hyde Park Expo;

I Jubilee Ball.

Music

In the third term the major events were:I The Matric final practicals;I Trinity, Unisa and RSM theory and practical examsr

We are very proud that the Subject Music Department atSaint Stithians is one of the largest, if not the largest, inthe country amongst the IEB schools and we have manyplans to grow it even farther.The Chow has gone from strength to strength under theable direction of Ellen van Eyk.All the above is not possible without the able help of thefull-time staff and peripatetic staff on the whole campusand they must all be thanked for their dedication andhard work,

N/mmuz mm

.-- I . i111]!_ EEE

3 MEZAm m234>2m 0.5m OOPmOm Meow

Drama

2003 the Jubilee Year that the st stithians DramaDepartment will remember as one that required countlesshours of dedicated hard work. But not a single momentwent unrewarded, for the resulB produced made ourJubilee Year all the more memorable and showed, as ametric student described it, that performing arts at StStithians College is a force to be reckoned with."

The start of the year was celebrated with the launch ofthe major production Fame - The Musical .

The year s major production demanded somethingextraordinary, The production of Fame was a chanceto celebrate and show off the abundance of talentthat Saints has to offer. Combining acting, singing,dancing and our backstage crew's technical brilliance, ourdirectors produced a show that had everyone shouting formore, Countless months were spent in Meats Hail, puttingthe show together, as well as building many friendships.We de nitely learned the meaning of Hard work"! Thecast of Fame The Musical staged a show that was ahuge success and enjoyed by all. Many thanks must goto everyone involved and especially to the directors andstaff. We ate, slept and breathed Fame as countlesshours were spent building friendships while putting ourproduction together.Wan mr

2003 saw the rst of cial theatre sports team beingestablished at St Stithians. A small group of highlymotivated Grade 11 drama students were introduced tothis entertaining type of theatre by actors at the MarketTheatre, who trained us in the art of improvisation. Wehave gone from strength to strength over the past year:Lyndsey vii/7'

The second term offered the drama students anopportunity for a culturally enriching, but enjoyable andrelaxrng holiday with the unforgettable experience ofthe Grahamstown Festival. We saw plays of every genreand style. The quality and diversity of the plays resultedin the students leaving the town with a much broadertheatrical knowledge. Integral to the study of drama isanalyzrng performances by others and so this tour was anenormous learning opportunity for all the students.j/wed [(444%qu

The Saints Arts Festival was an enjoyable collection ofstudent productions from both Grade 105 and Grade115. These included bringing reality TV onto the stage;provocative material; fresh satirical views; dance; andplenty of laughter. The Arts Festival will always be awonderful event that gives students a chance to growand shine.71mm Marni/m

ith our two new staff facilitators, MrsGalanakis and MrPerold, debatinghas only gone fromstrength to strength

this year as we rebutted, arguedand point of informationed our waythrough yet another successful year:With a host of fresh meat fromour Grade 8 recruits, skills werehoned, toned and perfected in theNorthern Schools League, as ourgirls took their deserved places atthe proverbial soapbox as queens oforatorical reworks. We participatedin the Roedean Centenary Festivaland proved a force to be reckoned

with against the host school and other Gauteng teams,as well as against tough competitionfrom our Durban counterparts, Oursenior girls took the formal league bystorm as our SACEE team was placedsecond in the province and HayleyOwen and Tamarin McGinIey went onto trials for the composite team in theLoveLife Games (the SACEE Nationalnals). All of this, however, cannot becompared to the ultimate highlight ofthe season: being the rst team toever, EVER beat the Saints boys inthe historical battle of the podium}What a year it has been.

mm qumlo/

This Strange Disease of Modern Life

He stares vacantly out of the shop window, oblivious tothe honking and cursing of the drivers outside. The steamrises from his coffee cup, misting up the window, so thatthe red and white lights seep into each other, formingblurred images on his glassy eyeballs. One of those dayswhen the min would simply be a cliche. What do they callthem again? Oh, yes. Blue days.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Time dictates his routine.

She slouches on the sticky plastic seat. Her limp bodyjerks spasmodically as the bus rolls over the bumpy tar.The whooshing and sighing of the bus door as it opensand closes hypnotises her she is unaware of any lifearound her; she is without thought.

He gulps down the lukewarm coffee, grimacing as thestale, sugary liquid forces its way down his gullet andinto his stomach, where it will be absorbed into his veinsto kick-start his day. He throws a bill onto the table andsaunters out the coffee shop, his million rand sportsjobble arrogantly hugging the kerb.

She is awoken from her trance as her head smacksagainst the seat in front of her. The bus comes to a haltjust in time for the silver sports car to skid In front of it,it. too forming part of the mass of steel inching its waydown the six lane highway. Asshole," she curses him outloud. The traf c light ickers to red, further narrowingthe interval between punctuality and tardiness. Time toodictates her routine.

Tick. Tick. Tick, tick, tick. Life is picking up its pace.We are submerged in tasks and chores, projects andassignmens, responsibilities The busy city neverceases to move. Our thoughts travel like electricitythrough our machine like minds, while our emotions areat a standstill. Our spare time is spent retarding ourselvesin front of the television.

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This strange disease of modern life

We have become robotic. We are not living; we are barelyalive.

Mr Carmichael! I m so sorry I m late!I don t want to hear it, darling. You re red. He spins onhis Gucci patent leather heel, yawning. Gloria! he barks,I need a new coffee maker!"

She resists the tears, until she reaches the bus stop. Theyerupt, burning patterns into her cheeks and sticking herhair to her face. strangled, inhuman sobs escape her lips,the electric city mocking her misfortune. At last.

Emotional contact.

It is not a vims. It is not a bacteria It is not materialismor technology although these are factors fuelling thisepidemic. It is not anorexta or depression isn t that atrend?

The strange disease of modern life is a lifestyle. A parasitethat feeds off one's body, mind and soul. We are livingin the age of the survival of the ttest; of the demolitionof all human value. Decisions have become rash andunreasonable. We are the money-grabbing, workaholic,vegetable generation of the twenty- rst century.

This strange disease of modern life is killing us. It is notan elitist disease, only controlling the lifestyles of the richand the famous, but a darkness infecting the souls ofevery person of this modern world, from businessmen tohuman coffee-makers. If you think that because you havea healthy family and send your children to a good schooland earn an honest living, you won t get the disease ofmodern life, get this:

It s already got you.

Jll tnlé .i h PK/ltl (or Art! 12,)

leaned forward and glanced at my grandmother.As the north-easterty blew strands of hair intomy eyes, I realised what a pathetic picture sheportrayed. She was slowly rocking back and forthin her wooden chair while she erratically sucked

at a cigarette She just stared out into the distance, theunattainable great beyond.

Her hacking cough interrupted my languid thoughts and shespat out some phlegm over the porch railing. I turned awayin disgust. Is this what life comes to in the end.7 I thought.Is this it?

Icontemplated my grandmother s life . At seventy- ve yearsold, she can be classi ed as one of those people who havesupposedly lived a ripe, full life". I cannot express just howopposite this ideal is when compared to my grandmother sexistence. She was born and raised in industrial England inthe 1930 s in an extremely underprivileged neighbourhoodwhere she grew to resent her lot in life. Things took a turnfor the worse, however, when she reached her majority andmet her now dead scoundrel of a husband. She married himout of sheer desperation to escape her entirely unpromisingsituation and, because of the severe pressures of the time(in those days, women were considered more equal tocanines than men).

My grandmother realised she had made a grave mistake atthe moment my grandfather rst raised his st to her. Hewas an appalling alcoholic and unfortunately my mother waswitness to the disturbances that consequently occurredin the household when he was inebriated, In an effort tokeep the peace, my grandmother started to accompanymy grandfather to the local public house, This led to atragic train of events, as my grandmother too became analcoholic Soon both of them began spending more timeout drinking than at home. Consequently, my mother wasa very lonely child.

To this day, as I recount this story, a sick feeling settles itselfin my stomach. It feels like one might feel a er watching acriminal being set free or learning that your best friend hasjust passed away. Each and every time I ask myself why mygrandmother didn t leave at the beginning, why she could

obviously not relate to her child at all and why she was sosel sh as to do all those things that she did for the sake ofkeeping the peace .

It amazes me that my ancestry consists of some womenwho are so tragically weak in every way, However, it is agreat comfort to me that my mother fortunately broke thecycle. She is stubborn, street-smart and intelligent, yetalso caring, consoentious and devoted to her family. Herboundaries are rmly set, her values are consistent andif anyone attempts to push her too far, they must expectfurious sparks to y. I can assure you, they will.

I have inherited many of my mother s qualities, especiallyher stubbornness and dry wit. My mother has in uencedme to an immeasurable degree and made me everythingthat I am today. She left England when she was twenty»two to pursue a new life in South Africa and I applaud herresolution to create a new life for herself, She was in a diresituation, but refused to let this demoralise her and shesought to achieve all her goals and ambitions. She did notallow herself to be a victim of circumstances, as her motherhad done.

It was my mother who taught me the old adage A man canunfortunately only do one thing at once, but a woman cando six". Even though we now live in an extremely politicallycorrect and equal society, I still believe this saying is true.My mother inspired me to be the feminist that I am today» to ght for equality on all levels and for all women, notjustmyself. She taught me to express my opinions unashamedlyand openly to oppose things like domestic violence. Sheinstilled into my mind the value of taking a stand" and notjust to melt into the crowd and be indifferent . My motherhelped me to become the informed, self suf cient andindependent individual that I am. I realise that 1 do not needa man to be happy, but rather, as we all know, happinesscomes in many other forms, usually from the self anyway.

My message to all of those caught in the perilous web ofdomestic violence is this: break free, learn to y and torespect yourself and others.

1pm}. mffnmo n)

My PoemWhat if this poem

was someone else s beforeWho shared my thoughts

But never opened the door?They wanted to say thisNever taking the timeTo sit and to write

To let their thoughts unwind.50 centuries laterTheir thoughts

I now ownTo display on a page

My poem.

So as you readYou are able to see

The glorious thoughsOf many a me.But I am special,

Because I picked up my pen,My tribute to the thoughts

Of many great men.50 I get the credit

For all of our dreams,I ve undone the rope

That shackled their souls.

mm MtMi Mur ( nale M}

VIIIIIIW

Suddenly Glass Worldcasually wandered down the passage, moseyingalong. I noticed a few weird things, nothing overlybizarre, except for a bottle of wine standing inthe middle of the kitchen floor. As I turned thecomer, I saw that the cupboard doors were wide

open and the sewing machine was lying on the carpet.I didn t think much of it, just that Mom must have beendoing some Spring cleaning. I walked into my room. All Isaw was glass.

I would have been all right, if it weren't for the blood. Inoticed it as I was numbly stumbling around after thepolice had come to write a report. Perfect crimson circlesdecorated the tiles, just beneath the table in the entrancehall. He must have cut himself in the process of throwingour garden furniture through my window, thus allowingHim to invade, He bled in my home. How dare He.

I felt compelled to investigate my room. Even thoughtears streamed down my cheeks, I had to see what Hehad stolen from me. The glass was just everywhere.The warm, comforting place where I dream mylife away was sprinkled with glistening shards.My carpet became like a bed of nails I couldn twalk anywhere barefoot for fear of slicing upmy feet. I couldn t touch anything - my meagrengerprint would cover up the only remaining

evidence that could be used against Him. It s not

.29. WWems COLLEGE zoosIIlV I J I. 1'. u.. --

llke we're ever going to nd Him anyway. He escaped.What a lucky man,

It almost feels as if He lives here now, in the darkenedcorners and amongst the folds of my duvet. He haunts thepassages and dwells in the mirrors. He reflects Himselfeverywhere. He's the living ghost of my household and Hebelieves that He has the right to stay here. How dare He.I can't even walk Into my room without feeling Him there.His harsh menacing breath, His reeking and tastelessclothes, His coldvblooded eyes and His unforgiving grasp.How dare He. Now I hate my room. It used to be mysanctuary, my shelter from the world and its brutality.Now the world lives in here.

I remember that afternoon vividly, as if it happenedyesterday. I had always said to myself: It will neverhappen to me," but when it does it shatters your life intopieces. The mere thought of a stranger invading yourpersonal space is enough to haunt you for the rest ofyour life. He took more than my possessions ~ He stole apart of me too. What a lucky man. He gained more thanhe bargained for.

5 14ng ll/rf/r (om/1m)

War

Talking through the tongue-twistingSimplications,

The blood of ngersChip

Into the loyalty,Chi

Into the arrogance,Chip

Into spitefulness and deafenedStark tongues,

Agitated muscles.

A war fought aThousand tears away,

Is fought hereOver the dinner table.

Debates are based on lackOf knowledge in

Crumbling opinions.Violent opposition in

Pity triumph.

Politics fool those who listen too closely.

Ironic- I nd peace in not giving a damn for the suffering.

"M

Iiimru um l lfrlrl hum m

Silence My Grandfather s Mind ISilence is silvery light A mind buzzing with silly little chores:It hangs above me: paying the bills, mowing the lawn, getting lunch, returning books,

Swirling pools of sohness and beauty Oh so grumpy!spiralling down towards earth His frowning mouth, shoulders down, slouching around all day.

circling all that it pure and crystalline, The only window with the sunshinebefore shattering upon the harshness of Beaming through is the afternoon of bowls.

noise When the time comes to put the old bowling shoes on,and separating into billions of tiny A tiny smile cracks in that old wrinkled face.

splinters As he s on his way, he says, "Bye, Ginny ,that scatter lightly around my feet Singing his favourite song Shibom, Shibom."

like icing-sugar sprinkles upon a candy Bowls to him is like a present todelight. a child on Christmas morning!

Who knows...mgr; Welt; {owls 71} Deep inside there could be a specialist In speech theiapy?

1W .r/ueld (mm a)

Can Anyone Hear Me?Can anyone hear me?Am Italking too loud ?

Or is it a whisper?Can anyone see me?Or am Ijust invisible?

Does anyone really understand me?Or is it just too hard to try?Can anyone see my pain?

Or is it just within?Can anyone tell me who I am?

Or is that up to me to decide?Is anyone out there to hear my cry?

To help me through this stage in my life?Can I depend on anyone to stay by my side while I _ ' . ' 7

Walk down the path of recognition? r , .

Key}, Hm? (gm; .9)

To be my light to see where to go?And to be my friend when I get there?

So I ask... can anyone hear me ?

Always YouThe weight of my happiness

falls heavily on to your shoulders... If you re tired, you lessen your load without caring if it s my anchor for the day.

If your muscles are tensed, mine are unable to relax. If you smile,the world smiles with you just to keep you that way.

It s always you, Never me.

Letting me gowould mean blackness for you and sunshine for me. But it s always you, never me:

so you swallow my warmth and keep it tucked away in the folds of your suffocating cloak.

Your icicle gazeslices through me

and freezes the particles that oat around me, making it Winter in the dead of summer.

kin/gel Well! (Grad: 77)

Make Yourself Heard

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent aboutthings that matter.So often it is easy to be silent. Speaking up and voicingyour opinion just causes dissension and disparity,

The president of our neighbouring country, Zimbabwe, isan evil and greedy man. He has committed atrooties forwhich we can only hope he will one day account for Ourpresident, Thabo Mbeki, has adopted a policy of quitediplomacy which I believe condones the wrongdoing andcruelty in Zimbabwe. Why, President Mbeki?

In the year 2000 white people owned 4500 farms inZimbabwe; today less than 400 of those farms eXIst. Mostof those farms were tobacco farms producing a total ofabout 220 million kgs of tobacco and now they produceless than 10 million kgs. Wlth tobacco having accountedfor one third of the country s foreign currency reserves,there is not suf cient money for the country to be able tobuy necessities, such as fuel and hospital supplies

It is not only the tobacco crop that has been affected. Theproduction of food crops has decreased even more. InDecember 2002 it was stated that 6.7 million Zimbabweanswere in need of food aid. The farm workers, who do notsupport the government, have lost their jobs; are gettingno money to buy food and do not get food aid; onlygovernment supporters get food aid. Many of the farmworkers, including children, have been brutally beaten andabused. A farm worker, Grace, states: We have no food,no work and no money. Who will feed my children now?

Eye-lockThere s something so intrigurng,An allure I don t understand.We de nitely connect, although I m not sure how.We barely speak; we've never touched.1 see him every day, for one split second:One split second that takes up hours in my mind.He s approaching; I recognise his walk.His head is down, he knows I m nearing,He s drawing nearer; he s hanging back,We re getting closer.Our eyes lock.And then he s gone,And the split second plays over andOver in my mind,That moment, that tiny fragment of time,Occupies my daVr my life,Until our next moment

617142»: WW'

as WWIANS GlRlS cougar zoos

As President Mugabe tells the Nation and the world thathe is givrng land to the poor, the value of the Zimbabweandollar continues to plummet. Food prices increase dailyand the poor people have no land, no food and no money.7 500 Dollars is not even enough money to buy food tomake one person a healthy dinner!

Mugabe has done anything but give to the poor. By doingwhat he has done he has only made the poor even poorer.The many wonderfully equipped farms, with houses andschools for all the workers and their families, are nowrubble and ruins. Mugabe wanted power for himself and ithas cost a nation and its future.

The world is made up of cruel and terrible people but italso has its heroes. These courageous and sel ess peoplemake every matter heard. People like Nelson Mandelaare few and far between. The average person would notgive up his or her life to ght for a cause, but NelsonMandela sacri ced twenty-seven years of his life for whathe believed in. When Nelson Mandela looks at our country,he must feel that his life was not wasted. He and others,such as Walter Sisulu, made our country into the place itis today a country with a future. They were prepared tosacri ce their lives for the well being of many others.

By being silent you are only condoning the wrong doing ofothers. Make yourself heard and make a difference.

@743?! Ber/rm:

Dropletthe moon above itcasts silvery light

across its place of solaceand as it drops...

the stars above it twinkleand shoot across the inky

A glistening globeshimmering in the nightsuspends from a silky

strandabove a glassy pool

mirroring its surroundings

to re ect its rings ofextinction

as it hits God s tears

it spins. ..

dizzying itselfinto a frenzy of colours

and sparkles Snider! Will; (owl: 71)

Thoughtslittle feet scurrying aroundmaking footprints in my head,run around restlesslyjust searching for a place to restbut are lost at every crossingand helpless at deciding the way -they dart around all day long and never ever stop:sometimes they tire me out so much that sleep is theonly way out.

Mgr; was (me n)

cl

Down to Earth

It took a single moment, a second. They were islands,surrounded by a type of darkness. Darkness that hideverything, perhaps even the darkness itself. It was light,enclaves of beauty amidst pure nothingness. They wereconstellations, clumps of reality, in a space. A space,that at any other time would be whole, and something.Something I would know beyond words.

Something perhaps a part of me, my home.

But the darkness buried the space that would jolt theconstellations into realms of recognition. The darknesswas the key to illuminating a hidden beauty. It was atreasure so large that few would nd it. Worse was thatthe few with the chance were not looking.

I was the swirl that would smear something as pretty in apainting. I was the viewer What I would be is an ant, partof the oblivion, part of the ignomnce. Ignorance couldn'tbe bliss, because then I wouldn t have been happy, ever.But, above all, I was happy.

We were above with constellations recognizable bothabove and below perhaps a constellation sandwich.

We were the filler to a colossal sandwich, but for whoseconsumption? Or perhaps, we were just some of thesauce that was doomed to soak into the bread, to becomea part of the norm.

The lights were stars. The people were hidden. The carswere meteors. For all intents and purposes, l was onmy way to the moon. Momentarily, I could see the bigpicture. From a distance the world seemed beautiful.I was unimportant, but part of the whole. It was awhole much bigger than I was, and far more important.Truthfully, I couldn t have made a difference to it. Buttruthfully, and thankfully, 1 was a part of it, although itwouldn t be different once I was there.

Johannesburg, the city of gold.As we descended, the lights became matchbox housesand the people, ants. Finally, the people became people.Touchdown.

I was demoted to humanity.

jag/m R1414 (mm; 12)

Scratches Against the Surfacehe same phony storyline is drawn out one timetoo many in front of my eyes. Girl sees boy,imagines what life could be with her in his arms,completely thoughtless. Time wasted uponthe callously thrown around cliche, blatantly

unromantic, outrightly expected, The American dreamdate: the high school football captain, tall and tannedperfectly, muscles rippling as he walks gracefully downthe hall, girls fainting at his feet. But wait, who is that, theperfect blonde beauty? Yes, he runs to her, dips beforeher and plants a kiss on one of her lusciously overdonelips in front of the entire school body.

I do not t into this cookie-cutter, oh no, 1 am theindividual towards whom you react in disgust. It makesme laugh when you all do that; I take it as a form ofrespect, the respect of not bombarding me with embracesand concocted stories of dates over the weekend.

Let me tell you that the world is not blonde, it prides itselfon being so, you may believe what you want, and if it is,I m not. The Blondes thought they had the best of me,that I would soon be an ally, brainwashed in peroxide,no, they made me stronger, ercer, faster than they are.I am the anti-Blonde, independent of these fairytales ofbewitched love, glazed over maxims of foolishness. I velet myself be free from the cage of my country, America;a society of super ciality, tasteless tarts cavorting inmicro-miniskirtst An Arian race is what they want: ifyou're not the way we want you, dream yourself that wayuntil you are; waste your life away in your room with our

icons if that s what it takes. No, no, no! Iwill not conform,ever! I declare a new age! One in which we break awayfrom these masks of petty, one-dimensional drones.

But my scream IS nothing but a whisper against gossip, ash swimming against the shoal. I'm hated, an outcast,the underdog. I m pulled between a longing for popularityand that strong sense of integrity and independence. Ichoose the latter, I will never wish to be that C- student,smoking and drinking behind the bandstands with myfrlends', who, after school is done, is left with nothing

but three kids and a husband who ran off with a secretaryalter kid number three came along, completely broke,working at the local supermarket, same as my ex~friends.

What can I say; I just want to scream at the sky, theaggravation in my mind splitting my head into two,clairvoyant tears falling, knowing what s next. I'm avolcano, the pressure building up unexpectedly, blowingat any random moment. I so badly want to show up allthese fools... or just run from my fears. i don t want tolose sight of myself, but I know that I have. I m havingan identity crisis. God, someone, please save me, I mlost within this hurricane of reality, society, pettiness,super ciality, morality... emotions I can handle this,can t 1?

Let s take a commercial break...

{Mam Womb {Iii/uh 9)

}

KukhonaabantuabaninglabangalitholangaKhuba lokufunda.Laba bantubazonekusasaelllukhuni.

Esikoleni esicebilesami abafundibanamalunguamaningi ngakho,abafundi bakhohlwainhlanhla yabo futhibacabanga ukuthIsékolo snchithaisikhathi. Ngiyavumaukuthi kufanele sizameukubakhuthaza abafundiukugxila. Kubalulekileukubakhombisa abantuabasha ukuthi ukwentulekakwemfundo kushoukungatholakali komsebenzlnokungabi nekusasa.

Usuku lokuzalwa lwami

gahlanganisaiminyakaeyxsithupha.Ngameme bonkeabangane bami

emc rmbini wami. Umama nobabanomfuwethu bami basemcimblni

wami, Saya ePannerottis, sadlaIndlamini. Sadla amamzza no-

ayisikhxlimu futhi saphuza ama-coke.Kwakukhona Ikhekhe namakhandlela

ayisithupha. Kwakukhona amaswidiamanmgl. Kwakukhona amabhaluni

lkusasa

Emuva kokuphuthula igrediyeshumi nambili ngizozwaukuthlnta umhlaba omkhulufuthl ngizolandela amaphuphoami ukuphumelela nokubanekusasa eliqhakazile.Ngicabanga ukuthl imfundoyinselelo kubo bonke abantuabasha kodwa ulwaziluyadingeka. Kubalulek eukuthi abantu bonke bayaziukuthi kuyiphutha ukulilahlaleli thuba esilitholayo.Masifunde futhi masifundiseulwazi lwethu!

Kristy [ru ltv

v amaningi. Umfowethu wami wadlam[I ngamabhalum Sadweba imifanekiso

ngamakhimyoni. Ngathola ilehO eziningi. kubangane bami. Ngathanda amalokwe, ilokwe

Iami lahhle. Izintombi zonke zagqoka amalokwe,Abafana bonke bagqoka amabhulukwe. Umcimbiwami wawumuhle impela.

lcmm h/mmn

gama Iami nguNonkululeko Tshabalala.Ngineminyaka engu»14. Ngingena esikulenisaseSaint Stithians. Nginabangane abahlanu.Amagama abo nguMbali, nguFezo, ngucharmaine,nguAmbroslas

noThabi.

Ngithandaukugqoka

13%2|

amabhulukwekakhulu kunezlngubo. E h | o b ongithanda iziketi ezimfushane, Ngithanda ukuzlgqokanamahembe anemikhono emifushane ngoba kuyashisa.Ngithanda izicathulo ezivalekile nezivulekilev Uma kubanda,ngigqoka amabhulukwe amade, amajazi namajeziIzigqoko ezihlukene nazo ziyangijabulisa. Ngiyakuthandaukudla kakhulu. Ngithanda ukudla okuphekiwe ekhayanjengerayisi, kodwa ngiyathanda uma sidlela ngaphandle.Uma sidlela ngaphandle, ngidla amapizza, inyamayenkuku, amatshlpisi, amapayi namahembegha.Ngi sa ukuba ngudukotela uma senglkhulile. Ngithandaukusiza abantu nokunakekela abantu uma begula.Ngifuna ukuba ngudokotela wenhliziyo noma udokotelawengqondo. Kumele ngifunde kakhulu ngoba kunzima

Mina

ukungena eyunivesi elungile njengeWits Medical Schoolnoma iHarvard Medical School phesheya.

Ngifisa ukufundisa umphakathi wami into esiyibizaubuntu. Ngifuna ukubabonisa ukuthi sonke siyafananoma isikhumba sami asifani nomunye

Ngiyakwazi ukudlala imidlalo eminingi njengenetball,ibhola, ivolleyball, ithenisi, ukubhukuda nokugijima.

Ngizama ukuphumelela uma ngidlala umdlalonoma umuphi. Ngiyakwazi ukuzimelanokuzikhulumela. Lezi Zinto ziyangisiza ngobabakhona abantu abathanda ukushlntshaabanye. Ngiyazithanda izinto ezenzaukuthi usebenzise ingqondo yakho.

Uma ngihlangana nabantu abasha,ngithanda ukukhuluma nabo.Ngenza isenzo sobungane. Ngizamaukuthola into echaza thina sobabilinoma echaza sibaningi Umangihlangana nabo, angibatsheliimpilo yami yonke. Ngithandaukubabheka nokubalalela ngizweukuthi bafuna ukuthi. Esikoleni,kukhona engihlangana nabo kodwa

, angibakhulumisi ngoba anglbathandinoma abahlangane kule nto minaengiyibona uma ngifuna abangane.

Uma ngifuna akazijabulisa, ngikhulumaocingweni ngesikhachi eside nabanganebami noma nomfana engimthandayo

ngaleso sikhathi. Ngongibelo, ngithandaukuya emaphathini nabantu engibaziyo,

Ngesinye isikhathi ngizihlalela endliningilalele umculo noma ngifunda incwadi

emnandi Ngesinye isikhathi uma ngiphethweyisizungu, nglyadla.

Baningi abantu abaylzlbonelo kimi kodwa engibathandakakhulu nabazall bami noProfessor Christiaan Barnard »udokotela wenhliziyo omkhulu ophuma eKapa Uyaziwaumhlaba wonkejlkelele Banlngi ngoba ngithanda abantuabahlukene abazongibonisa izinto ezihlukene zami.

Ngikhetha abantu abasiza umphakathi. UAngelina Jolieuyawuhamba umhlaba asize abantwana abahluphekayofuthi abangenabo abazali. UBono waseUZ uthandaukukhuluma ngoxolo. Ngibakhetha uma ngabe njengarni,bazama ukufundisa ubuntu,

Kubo ngifunda ukuthi ngingenzi ngathl ngingcono nomangiphila impilo engcono ukundlula abanye abantu. Kumelengingabakhohlwi abantu engikhule nabo. Nglzithandamina futhi ngizlqhenye Abanye baphuma enhluphekenikodwa sebanemali eningi ngoba bafundile.

Nan/caédeko What/1AM

RESOURCE CENTRE

Resource Centre

n extract from Lawrence Clark Powell s Books in my Baggage" reminded me thattoday s children are the children of a technological age. They have found streamlinedways of doing much of their routine work and that printing is no longer the only way ofreproducing books, Reading them, however, has not changed; it is the same as it hasalways been Do the learners in our schools realise this and do they realise that The

only important thing in a book is the meaning it has for you. (W. Somerset Maugham)?It has become Imperative that a school libmry is understood to be a component of the informationinfrastructure, According to the science ction author, Ray Bradbury, it is no use going to schoolunless the library is your nal destination. We have, therefore, made it our mission to create abright, warm and inviting place to make the girls feel comfortable and for them to know thattheir needs, be they leisure or academic, can be satis ed as the development of Outcomes-basedEducation draws more and more on self-discovery.We have also concentrated on providing plenty of fun and thought-provoking novels and have runcompetitions to promote readings New books are regularly displayed and the girls encouraged toshare titles which they have enjoyedOur venue is also regulary used for debates and tutor group meetings. We are alive and well.

Mrs] mm M» m/

m, smNESTI'IHIANS GlRlS COLLEGEZCOS V,

D&T Report 2003

en Krige Joined the D&T Department in2003. His assooation With the departmenthas been a long one, although he has notalways been physmally present.ric Ngobeni also joined the Department

in 2003, as D&T Assistant, haying been previously incharge of looking after the SWImming pools. His passionis technology and in particular electronics,

( we 8

A new approach was tested in Term 1 2003. Insteadof doing one module for a term, a number of moduleswere tackled during the rst term. These Includedelectronics, structures and food. In the electronicssection, the pupils made circuits on breadboard, drewthe circuits on Eagle LT (a CAD electronic drawingprogram) and they made the board by soldering thecomponents in place. In the food module, methods ofgrowing and processing food were looked at and a TVadvert for a new snack on the market was presented bygroups and recorded on Video. Ways of strengtheningweak materials were tested when the pupils designed

and made a cantilever - using only paper and staples- to hold a load the furthest distance from a point. Also,in our world of ever decreasing resources, the Viability ofcardboard furniture was pondered and usable furniturewas made from corrugated cardboard.

The pupils were then given a number of briefs coveringthe content areas. Each pupil chose a brief anddesigned and developed a product for that brief. Thisworked exceptionally well because the pupils workedon a brief that interested them, rather than all pupilshaVIng to all do a project that interested a minority.Havmg made their own chalces, the pupils producedoutstanding projects that surpassed expectations.

D&T

HIM/(l

The pupils designed and llhllll lllll iltill iiisliiimi'iils lll

llw lii' l lciiii, ThL-y leainl about lllll wlhll llUlI Ev, llll'

lI lillIOHShlp bClWOL ll the [Md] and lllk lt'llqlll Ul a L.liin(|()l dlr toluinii, They also luaiiil him In lllillk lltil » andml DIDUS HO llial llii- iiisliiiiiiiiiil wan iii liiiiv. lhl' i-li:(|iiiquilai wax looked al and NW liiaiiil Ilial moi/mg aUllH'l ( airyiiiq tondiiiim (llw mini. ul ilii- utiitai ) ()VL'I a

magiivt prudutes a Hound, whim iaii i'aaily llL aiiiplilivtl

lhv pinduils that WCIL made iiiiluiJi-tl L.ix ulllllg tili'ilili

(l|lll(|l -, six <liirigvd ilLUUHllL (iiiilain, lldlllN, iiiaiiiiilkis,

Hulk . and iaidhuaid (ltlllmH, Allllll il Williiiul l Xll DllOll,uvoiy in liiiiiit'iil was Illllt d aiiil innul {ll [hr [)llpll i Wt lt

(lllll'! tu play a ii-ioqiiisahli' ltiiio DIl Illt ll lll ylllllllQlll

llio Dllpll ) wow iiilitidumil [(l piiigiaiiiiiiiiig in llw

al CUl ld tin in. lliuy Wiolt: [)qulleH loi a Wdll l nlll liiiii-i

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hm [)( pdl'llVli nL

I tipils wniki'd Wilh ll XllIt'Eu and lvninl how to ll wl snwmqiiiaLliiiius, iiiakii iti tliawsliiiiq bags wliirli lhpy dL'COlillt d

Wilii liihiii lhlllllti

ll lJU was ll wl'd lu (lt lllmlshdh' piiuumalit piiiiCiplL-s.Dilt tlm-lllf aims aiiil sliding down. wciu i'oiisliiiitvd lioni

the kits.

Ail l XillHllldlll) was Wi'illvn liy lliv hays at Ult e-nd (ll this.

ll lm Whlrh ((Wf'l lfil all lhl' tnpirs l'ho girls, during thislllllt , (lllt llf ll d Bush Si liool. The DH (nmpontint was [orlliiim l0 (lusiqii and makii a nightlight Ming 0 two litrt-(llld dunk hollli: and (MM (ILCL SSUI'HES. Tho msults wereWiy pleasing,

In lhu lliiiil luim, lhv [)upll x WL lC prusoiiliid Willi aiiiinilmi of hut-ls myi i iiiq |hc loiiii's studied in thi: <ucondlumi Working in groups Ol iiidiVitluallv, llio qiils designiid

and developed products from the briefs This was mostsuitessful and amazmg work was done. Some productsWCIT dresses, shirts, ['Shlf ts, tracksuits, sets of cushions,

(. lthll OnlC dlCt , pneumatic aims, pneumatic crocodilesand snakes, to name a few

lhi: gills i'niiiiilizlcd [he Continuous Task for Assessment

(CIA), which centued around recyling, levers andlinkages, finishing off With the design of an aluminiumran (l'UShl'li The girls also wrote Section B In which theyma may woii

in, « iuyiiiiim-ia

In the second term we worked in the workshop and the pupils learnt to cut materialson scroll saws and to drill holes on drill presses and other tools in preparation for thedesign and making of puzzles. There was a large variety and some of the puzzles wereof outstanding quality.

In the third term, the pupils learnt how to use a sewnng machine and made drawstringbags that were decorated with fabric paints. They were also taught the basics ofprogramming. This module involved the pupils writing programs on computers andthen downloading these programs to autonomous robots, designedby Ken Krige and developed by the D&T Department.In 2004, we aim to take this modulefurther.

4m 9

SAlNTS STITHlANS Gll s COLLEGE 2003 20

GEOGRAPHY I

Grade 11 Geography Field Trip To Mountain SanctuaryPark Magaliesberg

reat fun was had by the2004 Matm Geography

class tn October thts year,

as they htkL d the hillsand valleys, swam m the

rock pools, gazed at the wonderfulcloud formations, cooked their ownfood, bonded wtth nature as well asWith each other and revelled m thefreedom of Deng away from utystresses.

Much was accompltshed In terms ofteaming. A study of mfmmat lradrngat Hartebeesnort Dam promoted

much dtsrussnoh on Emnomtcs.Hands on (Net SludlCS wave done;

Geology, Ecology, Bush Management

and other msues weve dtscus it d.Map ortentatton, skills and exermses

pertaining to the area Will beLempleted tn class.

All tn all, the gtrls were afforded

an opportumty of experrencmg theOutdoor Classroom", Hopefully, tt WIll

prove to be one of the many spematmemories that they th carry With

them tnto theft futures

mu m Asa/(1n

an SAINTSWOW}COLLEGE zoos

.m

Grade 1 1 Geography Trip To A Gold Mine

rade 11 Geographypupils enjoyed an

outing to the WestDriefontein Gold Mine

near CarletonVIlleduring the second term. Several

exchange students accompanied usand found the whole excursion to

be fascinating and one of the mostworthwhile activities during their

stay in South Africa.Apart from visiting the Education

Centre, having a Visualpresentation on the physical andeconomic aspects of mining and

having all our questions answered,we were treated to a deliciouslunch at the Visitors Centre,

The best pait of the visit was whenwe had to don miners overalls,

gumboots and hard hats and weretaken down the skip to the actualmining face. This proved to be anunforgettable experience. Apart

from the learning that took place,great fun was had by alll

MrrcMan

MATRIC DANCE Matric Dance: Beauty and the Beast.

he Matric Dance 2003 was on 17 Septemberand it went off With its usual grandeur. TheGrade 115 worked extremely hard and the halllooked beautiful. Fiona Kelly managed to hire achandelier which was hung high in the hall and

really set off the ballroom. The Matrics looked fabulous;the hall looked fabulous; the food was fabulous; the DJwas fabulous and the evening was a complete success!

Below 5 Fiona Kelly s speech that opened the ball and thedance oor.

Beauty and the BeastWelcome Beautles and Beasts. Welcome to your tale asold as time. Allow me to give you the grand tour of yourfairytale.

As you walked through the entrance you would have seenhow we have captured your rose, your school career frombud to bloom along with all your memories...

The chandelier dimly lights up your dance floor and Will

capture all your special memories. Anyone who is a bitcold, or wants to snuggle, feel free to make use of ourcosy replace.

If you need to go upstairs, the stairs are Situated next tothe bookcase. If your watch didn t match your dress, ourgrandfather clock is in the comer.

While you are Indulging in our delicious banquet, stop, lookat the view and remember that the balcony is where theBeast turned into a prince... so hold thumbs, ladies.

As the candle wax melts, as the night grows old, so willyour date melt as he marvels at your beauty,

The red rose you got at the door might not last foreverand the ring that Joins friendships might get lost, but thememories of tonight and every single day that you spentat school will last forever,

The Grade 115 ask each of you to be our guest, be ourguest, be our guest and put our serVIce to the test,

3e amis msimscoueee zoos

MATRIC DANC 13

The quest has been to establish compassion and commitment. Indeed, an on-goingmission, which is cultivated within the heart and transmitted by example.

he teaching of Art is inseparable from thelessons of life. The demands of discipline,passion for the subject, dedication andrespect embrace the seeking of a pure andblameless life' which involves an endless

search for perfection, love and truth.

The following passage from my father s diary capturesthe vision which I, as a teacher, interacting withyoung people, hope to transform into a concretereality:

Man comes nearer to the truth when he can lookout over the rivers, the hills and the far horizonwith a profound sense of his own littleness in thevast scheme of things and yet have faith, hope andcourage, which is the root of every virtue. When heknows that down in his heart every man is noble, asvile, as dlvlne, as diabolic and as lonely as himself,and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellowman. When he knows how to sympathise with menin his sorrows, yes even in their sins,knowing thateach man ghts a hard life against many odds. Whenhe has learned to make friends, and to keep them,and above all how to keep friends with himself. Whenhe can be happy and high-minded amid the meanerdrudgeries of life. when star crowned trees, and theglint of sunlight on owing waters, subdue him like

'Compassion and Commitment' - the underlyingstrengths of the Art Department.

the thoughts of one much loved and long dead. Whenno voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and nohand seeks his aid without response. When he ndsgood in every faith that helps any man to lay holdof divine things and sees majestic meanings in life,whatever the name of that faith may be. When hecan look into a wayside puddle and see somethingbeyond mud, and into the face of the most forlornfellow mortal and see something beyond sin. When heknows how to pray, how to love, how to hope. Whenhe has kept faith with himself, with his fellowman,with God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart abit of a song - glad to live, but not afraid to die! Sucha man has found a true secret, and one which he istrying to give to the whole world.

In aiming to strengthen the character of the individualthrough confidence and commitment, one hopes toimprove the community. Personal righteousness andpersonal responsibility will lend themselves to humanwelfare and each individual will be inspired with thefeeling of charity or goodwill towards all mankind.Ultimately, each one will be moved to translateprinciple and conviction into action.

Indeed a demanding and enriching journey!

N§;%\\\\\

AH

I \\\ g .m K

JUBILEE

The Girls' College Jubilee Wor h p

n the first term of this year, Mrs Acquistosuggested the Idea of a workshop day for theschool similar to the Global Girls workshopthat I did With the school four years ago.The aim again was to have a day that would

bUIld spirit and to try to find out the issues that werebubbling under the skin of the school.

I chose 'attitude' as my theme. I am constantlyreminded of Victor Frankl s assertion that 'the last ofthe human freedoms is to chose one s attitude in anygiven set of circumstances . I tied this to the idea of'one and used the song ONE from A Chorus Line asthe glue that would hold the workshop together.

I never doubted that over 400 girls and 40 membersof staff would be able to cavordinate themselves toperform the dance. They were magni cent! Theirenthusiasm and Involvement told me more aboutthe quality of the people who make this school tanything else could.

The day was more than the dance, there was afren1ied game of money or the box where thegirls had to make choices and then deal with theconsequences of their choices. There was also aquiet moment where girls and staff were able togive gifts to people who were important to them asan af rmation of their value. There was an obstaclecourse where those who chose the difficult courseand came last were the Winners, there were alsoImpromptu plays done by the girls based on quotes

about attitude. The tutor groups had to work togetherto produce a section of a banner. The school then had

to work together to findout what the banner said.The girls were asked toanswer two questions.

The answers wereexciting, exciting in thatthere was Virtually nocomplaining. The firstquestion was: Whatdo you want from yourschool7 The responses inorder of importance wereas follows: Education;a secure future; schoolspirit', memories;friendship and a placewhere they feel at home.

In reply to what the girlswanted for themselvesit was interesting tonote that top of the listis still confidence. It isencouraging though,

in that it was not theoverwhelming answer thatwas given after the GlobalGirls workshop - we havedone something rightsince then and we need toreflect on why the changehas taken place. The girlsalso wanted: friendship,respect, happiness andpeace. These I think are areflection of the uncertainlives that many of ourgirls lead.

Perhaps the most positiveresult of the day was thenumber of girls who saidthat they needed nothingfrom the school, theywere given enough. Therewere also those who saidthat they would like togive rather than to receiveand that their gifts wouldbe a sharing of love,participation, pride and

commitment. The want tomake others happy.

We can be proud of ourgirls - they are Onesingular sensation !

ml: rumm

History

Grade 9 Yradlng Game

\\ 0 go or not to go, that is the questionwas the Hamletrlike problem the historygirls, staff and parents had to cope within April 2003. Our history tour to Vietnamwas threatened by the developing SARS

crisis and after much discussion and input from variousspecialists, we reluctantly had to call it off Just weeksbefore departure date. The tour was postponed to April2004.

Other trips were more successful. The Grade 95 werepriVileged to be able to Sit on the saddle at Isandlwanaand stare out over the battlefield as they listened to thedrama of that day unfold, This, and a Wait to Rorke sDrift, was part of their Babanango experience, and what apleasure it was to be able to have almost the whole gradeon a major slte trip.

7!; 'WEWGIM OOLLEGEm

i..%

A ViSit to historic Sights in Pretoria was arranged for theGrade 105, a trip to Alexandra and Lilliesleaf farm for theGrade 115 and the Matrics spent a day at the ApartheidMuseum and In Soweto.

Our Jubilee was celebrated by the Grade 85 whoresearched and put together an exhibition on thehistory or St Stithiansl The Grade 115 commemoratedHuman Rights Day with an exhibition on Human RightsAbuses, with particular reference to the work of AmnestyInternational.

The accompanying photographs give a taste of some ofthese experiences.

,/ Ruben ly/uw/

Reflections on lsandlwana

My footprints imprinted in those of another,following the path of destruction.My heart pounding as the graves of thousands are placedbeneath my feet,whilst the spirits guide me through this mark in History.

The quivering spear savagely pierces the unsuspectingsilence, drastically descending from its heighs above.The stones trembling in the wake of footsteps, as the sunsilhouettes the heart of the Zulu force, conquering iNyoniheights.The British soldiers can only look up to this mighty anddominating shield, knowing by nightfall devastation wouldrule.

My Reflectionson the Battle of

lsandlwana

looked at the piles of paintedwhite rocks and imaginedthe British soldiers who laybeneath them. I cast mymind back to 1379 when the l

British had their camp at the foot oflsandlwana. The British wanted todefeat the Zulus and to own thekingdom but the Zulus took themby surprise.

I thought of Colonel Pulleine, lein charge of the camp while Lord Chelrnsfordwith his men searched elsewhere for the Zulus.

I imagined the Zulus, stealthy and quiet, unknown tothe British, forming two branches around the hill, in theirtraditional buffalo-horn formation. I feel amazed thatany such huge group of people could be so very, veryquiet and I admire their well-thought out strategy anddiscipline, for they were ghting for land that belongedto them. I thought of the intense fear and anxiety theBritish must have felt as the 20 000 Zulus poured downon the 1774 British men, like ants on an ant hill in thedark of night, breaking through the British ring line andovercoming their camp.

I don't think the British were in the right, for trying to takethe Zulus land, but they were brave and courageous, ina great battle, when the Zulus, using only traditionalweapons and their own wit, overcame the British andovercame the technology of guns. I imagined the ghting,clouds of dust, anguished shouts, ashing spears and thesound of gunshots and I feel sad, for all the men werebrave and I don't believe they desen/ed to be killed, The

I

The worriers descend for the kill.

Within my soul the battle elds become alive once more.The images of war ash through my mind, as if it wasunfolding before my eyes.The passion and devotion deep in the blood of eachworrier stain my every footstep.And the courage and bravery touch my heart, each toremain as a part of me for eternity,

jm Hewitt (9y)

Zulus slit thestomachs of the British,as a sign of respect, a sign that theyconsidered them equals. When Lord Chelmsford andthe rest of the men came back from the search, to ndtheir camp destroyed and slain bodies everywhere, Iimagined their devastation and l sorrowed too, for theBritish and the Zulus. The Zulus took away the bodies oftheir people, and, sometime later, the British buried theirdead at the place of the battle.

Ami/ed zau/Ie {9r )

HISTORY i

44 SNNTS STITMANS GIRLS' COLLEGE 2003

Die lewe,'n labirint.s n mens aan n Iabirint dink, dan dink hullegewoonlik aan n erotise verstn king tussen diepaaie. Die opwinding van die jag.

Die lewe is partykeer sous n labirint waarprobleme dit 5005 n doolhof maak. Elke probleem is nhinderpaal waar alles na n doodloopstraat lei, dit is hierwaarjy n makliker pad nodig het, dis hier waar n vriendjou kan help.

Vriende is sues die geheime watjou na die volgende vlakneem, hulle maak die reis n bietjie makliker. Miskien dinkjy: hoekom kan my familie my nie help nie maar somsis hulle die probleem, soms is hulle die ding watjou na dievorige vlak terugneem. Dit is nie altyd waar nie, meestevan die tyd is hulle sous die goue sleutel wat jy nodig hetom die deur van geluk oop te sluit.

As die lewe sous n labirint of doolhof is, wat sal ndwaalgang vir tieners wees? Sums is dit hulle verhoudings,

Wat sou uns sonder geld doen? Dis n toepaslike vraag,maar dink net hoe groot die gemors is wat dit veroorsaak.Is dit alles die moeite werd? Gee geld jou n grater glimlagas n kind se laggie?

Alles wat uns in die lewe doen, is om geld te maak. Diemeeste van die mense werk baie hard aan beroepe wathulle haat, net om daardie nuwe motor te koop. Geldveroorsaak spanning. Die samelewing rangskik mensevolgens die grootte van hulle huise en die deel van diestad waarin hulle woon. Materialisme regeer ons lewens,

Sou daardobbelary weessondergeld? Sou daar bankrowerswees? Nee. Dit maak nie saak watter misdaad jy verrignie, die wortel daarvan is geld, Sonder geld kan jy geendwelmmiddels of alkohol koop nie. Tieners van vandagsteel geld en verkoop hul ouers se erfstukke om hullehunkeringe te versadig. Geld veroorsaak familierusies enfamilie probleme.

Hoekom is arm mense war in dorpsgebiede woon gelukkigselfs wanneer hulle geen geld her nie? Hulle het gees enhulle is houpvol dat dinge in die toekoms beter sal wees.

Kies mango s oor daai nuwe Mercedes I

Hulle leef n eenvoudige lewe vol moeilikhede, maar hulle

verhoudings wat selfs doolhuwe Is. Skool kan partykeer5005 n groot hinderpaal lyk, maar clear is geen manierom dit te vermy nie, want dit is iets wat jy net meetuirsien tot die einde.

n Mens hardloop deur die lewe asof iets hulle jag, hullesien nie eers die pad wat voor lé nie, alles moet nou klaargedoen word. Niemand neem die tyd om te ontspan nie,maar ontspanning gee ans n kans om rigting te vind, nkans om asem te kry om better te dink our watter padbeter vir ons sal wees. Sums as jy dink voor jy summernet hardloop, hoeij nie in n dwaalgang te beland nie,want jy dink aan jou keuses en waar ditjou sal neem enwat jy daaruit sal kry.

Soos jy kan sien, is die lewe nie altyd 5005 n dosiesjokolade nie, maar rerig 5005 n labirint.

Emma Hmumq .o

gee nie om nie. Soms dink ek dat die lewe sander geldlekker sal wees.Ek sé nie dat jy sonder enige geld kan leef nie. Ek sé netdat die lewe minder ingewikkeld daarsonder sou wees.

Hoekom kan ons nie up n verlate eiland woon en heeldagmango s eet nie? n Eenvoudige lewe is die beste...

Bin/(gel Well:

Mercedes Benz

Besluite, besluite, besluite. ..

ierdiejaar sé ek tot siens vir die hoérskool enhallo vir my toekoms, maar ek is baie Dangvir die beslmte wat ek moet neem. Volgendejaar wil ek by die Universitelt van Kaapstadgaan studeer, Omdat ek kreatief is, wul ek n

B.A. Beeldende Kunste Graad volg, maar ek sal op dieDigitalekunste -afde|ing van die graad konsentreer.

Ek is baie opgewonde omdat ek in die koshuis gaanbly, want ek wil onafhanklik wees en pret saam met myvriende hé. Ek sal nuwe mense ontmoet en baie vriendemaak. Ek is 'n bietjle bang vir die kos in die koshuis!

Die BA Beeldende Kunsgraad is yier jaar Iank. Na diekursus wil ek terugkom na Johannesburg om n nagraadsekursUs by Vega te doen, Vega is n advertensieskool enek wil in die advertensiewese werk. Ek sal baie hartseerwees as ek nie na die Universitelt van Kaapstad kan gaannie, want dit was nog altyd my dream,

DeurmekaarWatter kant toe?Met wie praat ons?

Die advertensiewese is baie kompetered, maar ek hoopom uiters suksesvol te wees en dan natuurlik baie geld temaak My dream is om vir my famllie in Amerika te gaankuier en om orals in die wéreld rond te reis.

Nadat ek my merk in die advertensiewéreld gemaak het,sal ek graag wil trou en kinders hé. Ek is baie lief virkinders en sal graag twee kinders wil he. Dan sal ek tuisbly, in my groot huis met n pragtige motor an my kindersgoed versorg.

Nog n droom van my is om klere te ontwerp, maar ek saleers op die advertensiewéreld konsentreer en natuurlik,heel eerste, om Matriek te slaag!

{mulu'r mil/luff

Ons mense is altyd deurmekaar, hoekom?Moet ans net sit en wonder7

Wat doen ms in n tyd van venNarring?

DIE ANTWOORD Lé IN.

am, [Imam]

Dis waarvandaan ek myinnerlike krag kry...

Ek kry my innerlike krag van baie insette in my lewe.Hierdie ondemndinge en gedagtes help my om die grooten klein situaSIes te hanteer.

Die eerste ding wat my selfvertroue gee is meditasie.Ek hou baie van hierdie stokoue praktyk en herhaal dirgereeld. Ek het geyind dat as ek met vrede op vets fokuswanneer ek my oé toemaak, vpel ek bale meer rustlg na

die ondervmding. Ek vmd dat as ek hierdie oefening elkeweek doen, het el< n vars en beter uitkyk op die lewe.Dit gee my groot innerlike versterking en ek glo dat myoordeel beter IS na my meditasiei

n Verdere ping wet my innerlike krag gee is my familie envriende. Ek glo dat as ek myself in n vreeslike toestandkry kan ek op hulle staatmaak want hulle ondersteun myen help my met my bekommemlsse. As ek 'n moellike daggehad het, kan ek altyd met my famille en vriende rustig

46 SAIN'PSHHTHMNS GIRLE' COLLEGE 2003

praat waarna ek amper altyd onmiddellik peter voel, HulleIuister aandagtig na my en gee gereeld waardevolle raadom my probleme te help oplos.

Ek vind ook dat persoonllke tevredeheid met my lewe myInnerlike krag geel Ek Is tevrede met my lewe, my gedragan al die dinge wat ek in my verlede bereik het. Daar isniks in my Iewe wat aaklig is nie en my innerlike kragkan enige aanval weerstaan. Ek is ook gelukkig hoe ektot volwassenheid ontwikkel het en ek glo dat ek n baieunieke indlwidu is. Dit gee my de nitief innerlike krag.Na baie jare toe ek miskien gedink het dat ek nie goedgenoeg vir ander was nie, aanvaar ek nou myself en hetnou geleer om myself in n positiewe lig te sien. Hierdienuwe begin" is oak n persoonlike troos.

Daar is n belangrike aktiwiteit wat my ouk innerlike kraggee. Ek glo dat dlt een van die genotvolle aktiwiteite is.my gereelde slaap! Na twaalf uur onder komberse voelek wonderlik en hierdie energie motlveer my soms omfantastiese dinge te doen of doele te bereik,

Wiley nil/y

k kyk rond in die donker kamer. Die seweander beddens is leeg die kleintjies moesalreeds werk toe gegaan heti Vandag is ek baiegelukkig, omdat dit Vaientynsdag is! Hoera! Ekklim uit my bed (wat die grootste van die agt is)

en rek my arms be my kop tot my rug tik, Gaap, maarek kan nie rond lé nie, dear is baie om te doen voor diesewe dwergies huis toe kom.

Ek skuld my lewe aan dié kieintjles. Net n paar wekegelede het ek in n pragtige paleis gewuon metbediendes en my eie slaapkamer. Dit was die perfektelewe, behaiwe vir een ding my stiefmoeder. 5y is nwrede en kwaai vrou. Sy was jaloers up my en wou myduodmaak. Dus het sy die jagter gedwing am my tevermoor. Gelukkig, kon hy dit nie doen nie en her my Iaatweghardloop,

Ek het blitsvinnig gehardloop en he: nie teruggekyk totdat

Die Valentynsgeskenk

ek diep in die woud was nie. Dit was toe dat ek die kothuisgevind het. Dit her so geseilig en huislik gekyk, dus herek aan die deur geklop,

Ek was gegroet deur n klein mannetjie met die naam,Doc. Van toe af woon ek met die sewe dwergies Huilebeskerm my, en ek doen die huiswerk die perfektestelseli

Ek maak die beddens en gaan ondertoe. Die woonkameris n gemors! Ek vee, was die skottelgoed en begin omaandete voor te berei.

Toe, sien ek dit! n Klein pakkie by die voordeur. nValentynsgeskenk. Miskien i5 dit van Dopey of Bashful! Ekmaak die geskenk versigtig oop, n Bloedrooi appei! Wiesal aan so n Vaientynsgeskenk dink?

ab/Wtmm

Labirinte

= as J\O cgf iEMCcm @19ng@ \ lau :3

D diama'

#3

AFRIKAANS

Dis waarvandaan ek my innerlike krag kry...

Ek kry ook krag en innerlike vrede van my geloof. Invandag se tye Is an soms moeilik om te glo dat daarwerklik iemand daar be is wat na ons kyk, maar dan kykek rand na die skoonheid van die wéreld en ek vind dltmoeillk om te gio dat daar nie iemand is nie. Partykeerverdwaal ek in my lewe, maar Hy help my om weer mypad te yind. Ek het sums twyfelinge in my lewe, maar dieHere gee my innerlike vrede en ek is nie verleé om dit(e sé nie.

Miskien gaan dit n bietjie vreemd klink, maar ek kryook Innerlike krag van net n rukkie alleen sit en dink.Wanneer ek met my vriende is hoef ek nie oor myprobieme te dink nie, maar dit is ouk nodig om [yd teneem om oor die toekoms te dink an oak oor hoe om nbeter mens te wees,

Ekis...

k is ek. Ek is nie die stereotipiese blondinne niewant ek dink ek IS me dorn nle en dit is hoemense aan blondinne dink.

Ek is gemaklik met wie ek is want my vriendehou van my. Hulle respekteer my so ek hoe! nie agter nmasker weg te kruip nie. Wat jy sien en hoor is wie ekis.

Ek is n tipiese tiener. Ek hou daarvan om n goeie tydte hé by my vriende se huise of by n partytjie, Ek houbale daarvan om prei te hé en om die nuutste musiek teluister wanneer ek tyd spandeer met my vriende en 5005n tipiese tiener haat ek om vroeg in die more wakker teword om skool toe te gaan. Huiswerk IS die slegste dingvir my want dan moei ek hard werk en nie die televisiekyk of op die telefoon mei my vriende praat nie.

Ek is me seker van my ml in die gemeenskap nie.Ek Is n dogter n vriend, n suster, n perderuiter, nmuurbalspeelster en ek is ek. Ek IS amper nie seker vanmy roi in die toekoms nie. Ek kan n ma wees, 'n vrouwees, n ouma wees en ek hoop ek sal n suksesvoileloopbaan hé.

Ek het nie n spesifieke lewensiilosofie nie want ek is 'njong meisie Wat my hele lewe voor my hat.

Ek is geiukkig met wie ek i5 omdal ek baie dinge duen,mense ontmoet en baie iesse leer. Ek is wie ek IS en ek istrots om ek te wees.

Inmn ,ii.u<.i m

13 SAIN'IS STITHIANS G|RLS COLLEGE 2003

Mense kry innerlike krag van versklllende dlnge en hierdieis die dinge waarvandaan ek myne kry. Ek is seker dathuile deur die lewe gaan yerander, maar vir nou, Is dit watek nodig het om sterk te wees.

Miu I/m liifiidaymdoi

Ek en my toekoms... die pad verder

Vir die eerste keer in my lewe is die wéreld vir mywerklik oop, Daar is baie keuses en geieenthede en diemoeilikste ding Wat ek moet doen is om een van hulle tekies. Dit blyk asof ek by die vurk van my pad is.

As ek geweet het wat aan die einde van elke pad was,sou die keuse soveel makliker wees. Daar is groot drukop elke leerling van hulle ouers, hulle onderwysers, hullevriende, maar hoofsaaklik van hulleself en dit maak dietaak cm 71 ingeligte besluit te maak amper onmcontlik.Daar is druk op jou om n sukses van jouself te maak,maar die druk verduidelik nie presis wat sukses is nie.

Op hierdie oomblik van hierdie dag is my dream om nbekende prokureur te wees wat n grout verskil in Suid-Afrika en miskien die wéreld kan maak. Ek wil n kuns/regte kursus by die Universiteit van Kaapstad doen.Ek wil in n koshuis bly. Ek sien uit na nuwe vryheid,verantwoordelikheid en nuwe vriende, maar ek is bangom in n nuwe stad te gaan woon.

Dit is nie my enigste idee nie. Toe ek n bietjie jongerwas, was my dream om n ruimteman te wees. Ek woudie maan en sterre sien en droom om n wetenskaplikeontdekking te maak. Toe ek n bietjie ouer begin wordhet,het ek geleer dat daar geen pad na die hemel is nieen ek moet n nuwe droom gaan vind.

Vir die moderne leerling in 2003, as gevoig van televisieen die internet, skyn dit asof daar baie keuses is. Omna n unlversiteit met soveel moontlikhede te gaan isopwindend en dit kan n mens doodbang laat voel. Niealle televisie ontwerpe is werkiik moontlik nie. Hoe kanek Ally McBeal of Frasier Crane wees?

Die pad na sukses kan nooit deur n mens gekies wordnie. Ek kan net hoop om die regte pad verder te vinden droorn watter pot na goud sal lei.

Somery gunsteling seisoen is die Somer. Dit is die beste want daar is baie om te doen.

Ek hou van die Somer omdat dit baie warm is en ek kan elke dag baie tyd met my maats by die swembaddeurbring. Na skool kan ek baie sport speel soos tennis en swem. Wanneer ek tennis speel is dit baiewarm en ek rnoet baie water drink. As ek buite gaan moet ek sonskerm op my gesig sit. Ek hou daarvan

am in die son te Ié en bruin te word.

In die Somer eet ek baie roomys, maar dit is nie lekker as die roomys smelt nie. Elke dag eet ek vars vrugte en groenteom gesond te bly. Ek eet ook sjokolade en pizza en drink water en koeldranke. Elke Sondag eet ek braaivleis as dit niereén nie,

in die Somer voel ek gelukkig, rustig en vrolik. Dit is tyd vir ontspanning en ek hou daarvan om n wonderlike tyd tehé.

Ek wens die hele jaar kan Somer wees!

Dewjmi (acme

Mmm I

.4"

Uiii

AFRIKAANS

'n Pot goud of 'n Pot geleentheid

Toe ek drie jaar and was, het ek begin om ballet te doen.Ek net nie geglo dat ek eendag n keuse tussen twee vandie top ballemkole in die hele wéreld sal he nie.

Ek is nou in my laaste skooljaar en nou is die tyd omlewensveranderende beslissings te maak. Ek het drieweke spandeer om die grootste keuse van my lewe temaak. In Mei van hierdie jaar het ek na Londen gegaanom n oudisie vir eerstens die London ContemporaryDance skool en die Rambert Ballet skool te doen.Die oudisie was baie stresvol want ek bet my hele lewespandeer om yir hierdie oudisie te werk om n fantastiese,professionele, internasionale danseres te wees.

Gister het ek die beslissing gemaak om na die RambertBallet skool te gaan. In Januarie van 2004 Sal ek naLonden gaan om vir minstens die volgende drie jaarvan my lewe te spandeer, 0m n professionele dansereste word is moeilik en die Iiggaamlike, emosionele enverstandelike aanvraag is stresvol. Ek sal oak 'n BA<

LabirintMy romantiese verhoudings,Begin...einde. begin . einde

Keer op keer loop ek,Die gangetjies van die doolhofEk wonder of daar n uitgang is,Sal daar ooit n uitgang wees?

Ek ontmoet hom,.,en hou baie daarvan!Toe word my hart gebreek

Ek ontmoet hom...ek is lief vir horn!Maar hy IS nie lief vir my niem

My angswekkende doolhof van liefdet

Jimm . Ji'ri irzm

Labirintustlg, jasmyn n sagte room,saggeaard en wit en ulteindelik is dievreedsaami lavental n blonde pers.Daar is baieoetigheid, die Al hierdie blomme gaan

reuk van om en omDie rose, die jasmyn en en om.die lavental. Die pad van die labirint.

Die rose is bloedrooi, die 1.14:1 FIN/(HQ;

5O SW5 S nTHIANS GIRLS' COLLEGE 2003

Honneurgraad kursus doen. My werktyd by die dansskool sal voor agt in die oggend begin en sal na sesuureindig, n baie lang dag. In die aande sal ek nie ekstmballet en kontemporére kiasse gaan en vir geld sal ekkinderoppaster wees en ek sal n balletonderwyseres virkleinkinders weesi

Na my tyd by die balletskocl sal ek probeer om in nballet en kontemporére maatskappy te blyi My gunstellngmaatskappye is Alvin Ailey New York," of Richard AlstonLondon," maatskappy of Rambert Dance Company," ookin Londen. Hierdie geleenthede het ek vyfjaar gelede netoor gedroom.

Dans is my Iewenslange droom en die feit dat ekaanvaar is, is n groot prestasie. My toekoms is vir my,n potgoud en nie net n potgoud nie, maar n pot volgeleenthede en n droom wat waar geword het. jimm mm

LabirintEk staarKan nie verder as die eerste draai slen nie'n dooie puntMet n diep asem haalHardloop ek blindelingsEk sal nie na die lewe kyk nieEk wilDit voelEk hardloopIn en uit, in en uitSteak myself teen die doringsMaar die bloed is n werklikheidDie son skyn up my glimlagEk voel die warmteHardioop, hardloop in die warrelwind van die leweElke stap, elke asemNader aan die dingWat ons weet is clear maar nie kan yoel nieof, is dit verder daarvan?

Hay/(y I lexltem r

JW

Le Vol de Mon EspritDimanche mon esprit s envol

Comme je m entends dans i'ombreD un grand, vieii abre a la verdue de la

campagne

Je suis miile miilesDu bruit et de la rue e de la vie de ia vnie

Je SUIS tranquiileJe m'exerce de ne pas regaider

Le grand ciel bleu et ouvertPendant que le chiendent tient mon corps

A une étreint rudeMon esprit veut counr clans ie iueurs de

iumléreDans un instant de bonheur

La vie en AfriqueAu lever du Jouron volt ie voi des

oiseaux,

et un trapeau d e ie phantscourant dans les arbustes

piein de chiendent.

Le solieii montedans ie oei bleu

comme s ii avait e'te'peint,

Une lumiére deuceenveloppe ia campagne.

Les Bochimans exercentI art de chasser.

Pendant un instant, c estla siience total, et puis

un rugissementd'angoisse, comme ceiui

d un lion mis é mart.

Le soleil monte dans IeCiei.

Le cilmat devient rude.Le cuei se teintede miile couleurs.

La nuit approcheLe Ciel devient noir,

et la lune est argente e.Les animaux sauvages

rédent,

Comme c est dimancheLes tribus zouious

commencement Ieurfestm,

Teiie estia Vie en Afrique

ROUND SQUARE

his year saw the continuation ofthe involvementof St Stithians Girls College in the challengingand prestigious President s Award.

The progamme is based on the internationalDuke of Edinborough Award, which operates in over 160countries. The aims of the programme are to challengeyoung people (between the ages of 14 and 25) to fullydevelop their own latent qualities of leadership andreach personal standards of achievement and effort in aprogramme ofvoluntary activities . The programme offersa progressive challenge through three levels - Bronze,Silver and Gold. Each level requires the participants todevelop themselves in four areas:

SportSkillAdventure (exploration or expedition)Community service

The minimum period of participation for entrants toqualify for the award Is 6 months for Bronze, 12 monthsfor Silver and 18 months for Gold. Our girls do not onlyparticipate in activities for each area but also have torecord and document their progress and achievements ina personal journal or logbook. On completion of all therequiremens the journal/log book is handed in to theof ce of the President s Award. They qualify for the Awardwhen, in the view of the President s Award assessors,they have satisfactorily met the minimum requirementsin all four sections of the programme.

This year we have a number of girls enrolled in theprogramme and working towards the Silver and Goldlevels. Tamara and Ingrid von Glehn, Kim Winstone(Grade 12), Lara-Ann de Wet and Kate Shiller (Glade11) are working towards Gold level, while Liesl Retief,Ashleigh Campbell and Vicky Labum are busy completingSilver level. We look forward to seeing these girls achievetheir Awards owing HIS CDUFSE of 2004.

Adventure ActivitiesThe Round Square Adventure Committee organized two successful hiking adventures in 2003. Thesehikes formed part of the Expedition component of the President s Award, although they were opento anyone interested in gomg on a hike. The first was the Fanie Botha Trail in Mpumalanga, whichtook place during the April holidays. This is a challenging 64km hike, and couns towards Gold level.Pupils from the Boys and Girls' Colleges had to do preparation and training, including food planning,rst aid and mapping skills. Geoff Bick led the hike, and the girls who participated were Ingrid andTamara von Glehn, Alexis Bick, Louise Thompson and Liesl RetieftThe second expedition was the Magoebaskloof Hiking Trail in Limpopo Province, which wasundertaken during the August holidays. This was a 40km hike over 3 days of amazing scenery andcounted towards Bronze level. Mrs Joan Buckley led this hike and the participants were MomesiLeboela, Tamara and Ingrid von Glehn, Kirst Robinson and Julie Brown. The hikes were tough andchallenging, as some of the girls had never hiked before. They all came away from the experiencewith an incredible sense of achievement and they were incredibly fun too.

Am M 01) !

rr 5? - WWWN SW COU-EGE 200-73a4

St Stithians round square Ubombo community projectAugust 2003

eing part of this community service projectduring the August holidays of 2003, mademe realise again, why I am still in teachingand the wonderful profession that it is'

We hear a lot about HIV/AIDS in the comfort of ourclassrooms or chapels, but when you see a little baby inthe children s ward of a rural hospital, who's not goingto see the end of the year, that does something toyou. When you need to go to the toilet at the school inwhich you are helping with anernoon classes, and youare faced With a long drop type with no doors or torletpaper, you suddenly begin to understand that apartheiddid leave scars, that aren't going to go away overnight.

When you ve sat in a meeting with the local chiefs andadministrators and debated the issue of the terriblepoverty and unemployment in the area, you realise thatbureaucmcy kills and that people from all walks of lifeare just greedy and cheat,When you ve xed the water tank at a little primaryschool, which people in the community have vandalised,you begin to appreciate your hot shower every night,because you know that others in your country have topump their water out of a borehole by hand and carry itfor over a kilometre to their homes.

These are some of the experiences that the pupils hadon a community service trip to a place called Ubomboand it changed their lives1

At the beginning of the week we sat around beforesupper and I asked the pupils why they had come onthis trip. Various answers were volunteered and thenone of the boys asked me why I got involved. I hadto think quite hard about that. Why do wedo community sen/ice in our schools? Thedifference we made in that community in theweek we were there was not huge, but thepupils now have a far better understanding ofthe reality in our country and one day, whenthey are in big business out there, or in highplaces in government, or wherever , theywill remember that week and then be able tomake a really big difference.

An understanding of the problem, a heart forthe less privileged and a Willingness to dosomething about it, using one s resources andproblem solving skills, is what it s all about.And that is why I get involved in taking pupilsaway on community sen/ice outings.

71W Hmmthl A Maths Lesson

Willi/ TI .

ROUND SQUARE

A! the hospital

St Stithians Round Square UbomboCommunity Project

or the third year running, St Stithians Collegepupils, parents and staff visited Ubombo, animpoverished area in northern KwaZulu-Nataltwenty kilometres from Mkhuze, to work in thecommunity. The group of twenty four pupils

and six teachers and parents were hosted for a week atOverwin by Dave and Dawn [runs The pupils pitchedtheir tents in the garden and the staff were comfortablyaccommodated in cottages on the property.

The pupils are divided into teams and each day oneteam remains in the camp to do cooking and cleaningchores for that day.

The community service comprised a number of aspec s:

I Fundraising for materials purchase;

I Maintenance and repair work at Nsimbane PrimarySchool;

I Maintenance and repair work at theSewing Centre;Teaching Mathematics at Mangwazana HighSchool;A visit to Bethesda Hospital where thepupils are given a tour where they give toys to thepatients;

I Donation of clothes, books, food to the community.

On the rst day, all the boys and girls worked atNsimbane Primary School. The building was paintedinside and out and broken window panes were replacedSome of the pupils entertained the children as the

54 SAM SilTHlANS GIRLS' COLLEGE 2003

teacher had been booked off sick. The stairs were builton the second day, as well as a platform for the watertank. The water tank was also repaired and a new tapwas tted. The holes in the roof were sealed and meroof was given a coat of paint.

Work was completed at the school on Wednesday andthe pupils were given a tour of Bethesda Hospital in theafternoon. Toys were given to patients and nutritionalbiscuits were donated.

The pupils worked at the Sewing Centre for theremaining days. The leaking roof was propeily sealed,window frames were primed and the frames and barswere painted. Two new doors were tted to the frontof the building and the back door frame was repaired.Cracks in the walls were lled and some of the insidewalls were painted.

A new water tank, bought from funds raised by thepupils, was installed and connected to a newly ttedgutter for the collection of rain water from the roof.Door locks and door bolts were also replaced. MargaretSibeya runs the Sewing Centre and teaches localwoman sewing skills. The woman make clothes andthey sell their wares to the community. Margaret hassubsequently organised to display their nished productsin the local supermarket.

The pupils teach Mathematics at Mangwazana HighSchool This is done in the a emoons and interestedpupils inteiact with and help the local senior pupils to

Mains on Umbombo

work through worksheets. This bene ts both our pupilsand the local pupils in their fundamental understandingof Mathematics.

On Sunday morning, the group was fortunate enoughto visit Mkhuze Game Reserve. Our thanks go to MrMathenjwa, the hospitality manager, for allowing us intothe reserve free of charge and for allowing us to drivethrough the reserve,

On Saturday night, Dave Irons gave the group a talkon the history of Ubomho and in particular the work ofSir David Bruce, a doctor who first found and diagnosedNagana (commonly known as sleeping sickness amongstlocals) in Ubombo in 1898. A talk was also given byvisiting Masters studens from Pretoria University whoenlightened us on the intricaoes of microbiology. Wewere also entertained with music by Brian Lamb, anengineer on the local council,

Staff: Anne Bredenkamp, Thomas Hagspihl, WendyKerr (absent, RS Conference), Dave Lachenicht, StephenLowry, Eleanor Lowry and family, Michael Meyers.Parents: Peter Bredenkamp, Neil Hacking.

Girls: Jennifer Alberti, Alexis Bick, PhilippaBredenkamp, Kim Field, Lara Hacking, KayleighLachenicht, Caitlin McKenzie, Jessica Rule, GeorginaRyan, Carmen Schwellnus, Jessica Stack, LouiseThompson.

Boys: Jack Chegge, Jared Cumming, Brett Horley,Grant Horley, Murray Hunter, Matthew Jackson, MongeziMahlangu, Stephen Mulder, Ryan Oettle, Mark Treyena,Darren van den Munckhoff, John Vink.

Dm/P lax/mud

|4| . .2 l 1

Local Children Painting a! theCraft Cenlle

"Round Square - What Is It? What Does It Mean? Is ItUseful?

These were questions answered In a_ .presentation to the combined 5t Stithiansstaff in January 2003.The Round Square is a worldwide association of schools

which share unique and ambitious goals. Its origins comefrom the philosophy of Kurt Hahn who taught that schoolshave a greater purpose beyond preparing students forcollege and university, He believed in educating for life,in its fullest sense. The common goal is to develop everystudent into a whole person through academic, physical,cultural and spiritual experiences.Programmes initiated by TheRound Square help different but an :like-minded schools to worktogether through service projects,annual confereces, exchanges andoutdoor expeditions."More information about theRound Square organisation canbe accessed on the website www.roundsouareorg

Gabriella da Silva

The involvement of St StithiansGirls College is pro led on theschool web site www.5tithian,com.

It was the start of a challengingyear for the Round Squareteam as we graduated over afew months from a relativelynew, unknown member to thehosts of the International RoundSquare Conference for 2003. Theusual Round Square businessof international exchanges,adventure and service continuedand in fact expanded. A recordnumber of exchanges took place,an extended camp for Grade 95was pioneered and CommunityService engaged every memberof the Girls College through theinitiatives of co- ordinator, MrsVicky Chilvers.

Round Square Highlightsof the Jubilee Year were:International Exchanges:Twenty Grade 10 girls wenton exchange to a variety ofdestinations. They left tentativeand excited returned confidentand excited! We are proud of ourgirls' character and leadership asthey represented us across theworld. The following summawshows the variety of experiences.

Marion Owen

Courtney Stricker

Lauren Williams

A, V, 56 SMWHIANSGlRL 'CGLLEGEm

_'i.i

Hosting a visiting exchange student is also a realchallenge and a service to school and country. Manyvisiting students come from very different culturalbackgrounds and the Girls' College visions of empathy,compassion, commitment and often creativity (in ndingways to cross the language barrier, or cater for differentpalates) are developed, We have hosted fourteen girls

ichnnl znm

Host tostudent

Bishops College Canada Host to visitingstudent

Scotland

student

Ivanhoe Grammar Australia

Host to visitingstudent

M.L.C.Me|bourne Australia

Harpeth Hall U.S.A. Host to visiting

Hosted

DestinationName Emma SslmnlIsabella Sambrano Argentina Private arrangement

Celeste Blanc Argentina The Chase Foundation

Keisy Chase Argentina The Chase Foundation

Devanshi Khimji Oman The Indian School

Mansi Jayakumar Oman The Indian School

Abhilasha Nautiyal India The Lawrence School. Sanawar

Harpriya Sodhi India The Lawrence School. Sanawar

Merryn Tate Australia Ballaratt Grammar

Emily Mahoney Austmlia Rotary Exchange

Kelly Gar eld Australia M.L.C. Melbourne

Jordanna Green Australia M.L,C. Melbourne

Sonia Interlandi Australia M.L.C. Melbourne

Sarah Heland Australia M.L.C. Melbourne

Britte Riekmann Germany Private arrangement A group comment on the"Power of Exchange was

presented by Claire Hewan.

Indiwouals have also shared theirexperiences:Rollin - (Momma. {I I aMy experience at Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennesseein the USA has been an indescribable time lled withmemories! I started off just over 9 weeks ago for thisamazing adventure. Since then I have been a part ofseveral wonderful experiences.As a sport I do something called Walkabout where wego kayaking, hiking, climbing and bouldering and I havethoroughly enjoyed it. I learnt to do so many thingsI never had the chance to learn before. Also twice aweek I go to Tugman s Boys' Club a a community serviceproject aimed to help those less privileged study andlearn. This was SO different to home because they aren tnearly as badly off as most of our projects at home andyet for them, this is poverty and they still need our helpjust as much as people back home. It is also an amazingexperience to teach these kids.

The school here, is mostly the same and yet completelydifferent. I m currently a Junior which is a Grade 11. Iarrived as they started their new school year, so I gotto start as a new student. The things I ve learnt areendless and indescribable. I stay in Lawrence Dorm andmy roommate has been at Baylor for a few years, so shehelped show the ropes. The life-style is so different here,We are allowed a lot more freedom but have set routinesfor most things I adjusted well and I m going to miss mynew friends here so much! I attend regular classes anddo everything as though I was a student attending Baylor,the only difference is that I get singled out in the crowdbecause of my accent these Southerners have suchstrong accents, that I stand out a lot when I talk

I have been asked all the questions like < Do I ride

elephants to school? and Do I have pet lions?" etc.Not many Americans know about South Afnca and Ihad to set a lot of them straight about our country! Thebest way to describe Baylor is a world in itself. Take amovie, an American movie, that s Baylor in a very simplenutshell. They have the cheerleaders, football players andbusy lunch cafeteria. The most memorable experience Iwill have gained from this is making new friends fromdifferent parts of America and the world, like SaudiArabia (where quite a few students live). The people areamazing; they made this trip worth it. I have learnt somuch about other cultures, and of course about AmericaI have been to 7 states while I have been here and eachone is so unique, I will de nitely be coming back to seethe other 43. To truly describe an exchange is to do one. Ihope I never forget the feeling I felt coming off the planein Chattanooga, meeting my teachers and dorm-sistersand making new friends. WOW! Throughout my exchangethere has been good and bad and unbelievably great! Iwouldn t trade it for anything. As the Southerners say it,Dang ya ll, it's been great!

AW ffh MUM!

Illll yrl

ROUND SQUARE

My Adventure up Northto Bayview Glenxchange was an opportunity I either had tograb onto or throw away, never to find out whatkind of an indiVIdual I would transform into

I was utterly swept away with the newsof knowing that I had been chosen to go on a rollercoaster ride of a lifetime- exchange, I couldn t be pickyabout where I wanted to travel. Instead all of us wereexpected to give a list of our top three countries: minewere Canada, Australia and either Ireland or Scotland. Ipushed a lot for Canada, as I d never gone so far up Northinto the unknown and I wanted to experience the belowfreeZing conditions.

Saying my farewells was a large tearful blur and yet onceI had planted my feet on the aeroplane and fastenedmyself into my seating Implement and bed for the next 10hours, 1 was hit hard in the centre of my hollow stomachWith the realisation that I was leaving my cocoon andcomfort zone to stay With complete strangers for a periodof over 3 months: a whole school term...

I am glad to announce that I have surVived my journey fora month and a half and have now come to the conclusionthatI would like to baptise Canada as my new home. Butthere is of course one existing problem I would have tomove my home (Saints) here in order to carry out mysporting actiVities, as there are some sports here, but notenough and of course my friends are something I wouldnot function Without. I have seen some incredible thingshere in Canada, such as the ultimate Niagara Falls, whichto me was the most picturesque creation of God that I

have ever rested my eyes upon, and that was one of myfirst weekends onlyl

Another spectacular day was when my wonderfullyGerman host father took me to my first and last IceHockey Game (not match!), which was played betweenMaple Leafs Toronto-, '90 Leafsi - and Montreal Canadian.Of course in a rugby match, if the

a camp that Will be imprinted in my mind for a lifetime.

At Bayview Glen the students are extremely fortunate,as uniform they may wear makeup, jewellery and theirhair in any fashion that they desire. I am proud to saythat at Saints we really do look more formally dressedWithout these other adornments. The education system isextremely good at the school that I m attending, but theyseem to be a year behind us, as I am currently taking

Grade 11 and most of the work they are doing in thisgrade I have already covered.

As my time here on exchange evaporates before myeyes, I hope to make some of the greatest friends andkeep some of the fondest memories and so far I haveaccomplished both. A memory that Will rest in my mind iswhen I went to see the "Lion King" muSical and stayed inDowntown Toronto overnight at the Royal York Hotel, theoldest Hotel in Toronto.

I wanted to make a difference at BayVIew Glen while I'm

here and at the moment I am; my difference is to leavehere knowmg that I have made these young people awareof the Aids epidemic in South Africa and around the world.Thus I have organized to raise funds here to bring back tomy homeland, where I Will donate the funds to the babiesat Acres of Love and I hope, no, I will achieve this formy school, my community and especially for all of thosedesperately in need.

Exchange is a gift that I was priVileged enough to havereceived and if I had received such a gift and had notused it but given it away, then I would have been hauntedWith the thoughts of what it could have been like to goon the kind of adventure I went on, an adventure thatwas mine. I could share and experience with others whowere also fortunate enough to have been given the samegift. To me it seems I ve used this opportunity to its full.At rst it was hard to adapt to my new habitat, but onceI was at home, I never wanted to go back. Exchange isyour gift, so grab onto it tight with both hands

i simu- Jin- (Atom

players start throwing punchesit is not acceptable, but here, ifyour favourite Maple Leafs player

starts showing his violent Side, it sa whole different stow- they lovetheir fights

Mrs Warrington, my exchange

coordinator from BayView Glen,organized for the exchange

students to go on a Grade 7 campup North. I was a bit reluctantto go With such young pupils,but if you don t try somethingyou ll never know and I ended upcanoeing across an entire lake,

walking across a Wire (with aharness attached to me) on thehigh ropes and making someincredible friends, That camp was

IANS GlRLS' COLLEGE 260:!

e were honoured to host the 36th RoundSquare Intemational Conference. It wasthe rst time the Conference had beenhosted by two different schools StStithians College in Johannesburg and St

Cyprian s School in Cape Town. It was also the rst timethe Round Square had convened in Southern Africa TheConference proved to be a wonderful opportunity to pro leand serve both school and country.

The Conference took place from 18 September to 24September, 2003. The 519 delegates from Round Squaremember schools around the world and the eleven invitedobserver schools from as far a eld as Peru, Japan and NewZealand, spent the rst few days in Johannesburg,

The theme of the Conference was Umuntu NgumuntuNgabantu a person is a person, through other people Allactivities and discussions throughout the Conference wereunderpinned by this uniquely African concept Keynotespeakers and the ensuing Bamzzas introduced and exploredthe theme from a variety of perspectives, culminating in apowerful Conference statement.

The Opening Ceremony was a colourful and vibrantintroduction to the Conference with all student delegatesinvolved. School and national pride were showcased to thetempo of African drumming and song.

The cultural diversity and rich history of South Africa werehighlighted through activities such as Industrial Theatre,the Afrikaans Cultural Lunch, the African Story Teller and

Musical Evening and the Shebeen Evening. All events wereinteractive and promoted international understanding.

A range of outings were offered these included a visit tothe Apartheid Museum, a conducted tour of Soweto, TheRhino and Lion Park, Sterkfontein Caves ~ The Cradle ofMankind and a service project at the Re lwe Mission. Thesevisits exposed the delegates to South Africa's turbulentpast and the challenges of the future. The schism betweenthe First and Third World socio-economic structures inSouth Africa, was confronted and the potential of Ubuntuto heal our communities, was recognised.

The formal business of the Conference took place at theAGM and the Riikas. At the AGM each school tabled theircommitment to promote the RS IDEALS." Five newmember schools were admitted 7 Mayo College and VivekHigh School India, St Andrew s College New Zealand,Stanford Lake College South Africa and Baylor SchoolUSA.

Fundraising for the Prince Alexander Fund took the formof an auction at the Shebeen Evening. Member schoolsdonated items of national signi cance and R26 000 wasraised.

After two action packed and thought provoking days, theConference delegates transferred to St Cyprian s School inCape Town.

wm/ Km» 14 nal But/day

had created an image ofthis amazing experiencecalled exchange , but I knew nothing of theactualities of the once in a lifetime opportunity.Leaving everything my life was, and ever hadbeen, to stretch myself in all directions was a

great challenge, but the outcome was worth it.

Having to handle situations on my own, and being givingthe time to truly be me without the in uence of friendswas a rare position to be in, so I took every moment tonourish and embrace who I was, and to experience thechangesl did not see them for a while, but on my returnI noticed the difference between my friends and me.Spending time in a new school also gave me the chance

to notice and observe the difference between my nehome and my harbour, my St Stithians, It made merealise that I would never trade my place at St Stithiansfor anything, for here my ship once anchored and hereits course was set. St Stithians only gave me the chanceto teach and tell others of how great she was, and withouther it would not have happened.

Exchange" was just a word before I departed, but nothat word brings incredible memories and the pricelesslessons that I have learned, as well as the appreciationfor my school, for family and friends, and for life itself.[mum thtzluv, mama (« ay-s , M iv Mium

ROUND SQUARE Joan Buckley s Thanks to The Girls College

\The International Conference is the highlight of the RoundSquare year for member schools. To host a Conferenceis a privilege, challenge and opportunity to serve RoundSquare, School and country.

The resounding success of the Conference was madepossible through the commitment, creativity, con denceand contribution of the school community. My deepestgratitude to all parents, colleagues and girls who sharedthe load. The girls involved at St Stithians only proved tobe true impact players" who helped to win the game .Thank you all for your effort and energy you made theConference run smoothly with loads of atmosphere andvibe! True servant leadership was displayed by all.

As members of the host school, the Conference delegateshave added responsibilities The Full Delegates ful lledthe role of hosts and facilitators. They were outstandingin their leadership on the global stage.

Jessica BlasePhilippa BredenkampAlicia FrederickszMunene KhozaVictoria Laburn

Theresa MotswaiJesstca RuleGeorgina RyanMichelle Walford

Accolades from around the world have rated the 2003Ubuntu Conference" as one of the Best Ever"! Delegates

enjoyed it, left challenged, enriched » each with a senseof responsibility and purpose, to contribute to the future.

On reflection being a part of the Conference Team,was exhausting, satisfying, humbling and FUN! Sincerethanks to all at Stithians College Boys' and Girls andSt Cyprian s School,

RS International Conference: Impressions from GermanyA er a few very beautiful days in Kruger Park we cameback from South Africa With a lot of wonderful images,interesting and challenging observations and impressionswhich were planted in our hearts and soulsWe would like to thank you dearly for all the effort andwork you have put into the success of this conferenceand wanted to tell you that we are richer news SouthAfrica is a beautiful country with a lot of music, wonderfullandscape and people and I m sure a promising future.We will keep the memories in our hearts and hope tocome back some times

Exchange to Nlugra Falls

MEWSGIRL ? COLLEGEw

l

An Overview of Sporting Activities

Sport at St Stithians Girls' College has gone fromstrength to strength. This year we introduced socceron a competitive level and the girls are participatingenthusiastically.St Stithians offers sports opportunities to both thesocial participant as well as to the highly competitiveplayer. Many girls have been selected to represent

their district, league and there are even those who havebeen selected to represent South Africa. Sport at StStithians continues to cater to the girls needs and, witheach passing year, the girls' level of participation, theirenthusiasm and their spirit soar above expectations.

Nicole Rmomu

ntryAs the league in which we participate takesplace during our holidays, we only took part inthe nal two meetings. The girls, however, ranenthusiastically and did the school proud.

Lisa Franklin is to be commended on hercommitment and leadership skills.

Mr 1 {ma/edkat

The athleticsseason thisyear hasde nitely beenaffected by ourdifferent termdates and thehosting of theRound SquareConference inSeptember.The number ofInter-Schoolmeetings was

reduced and we have hada small, committed groupof girls. They started theseason with a meeting athome and have since gonefrom strength to strength.They were placed secondat the meeting at Roedeanon Saturday 4 October.

Diving Report

This year s diving season was an extremely successfulone, The divers all worked to their full potential, traininglate into the summer a ernoons to achieve the levelwhich enabled our team to win almost every competitionwe competed in. Many medals were won this seasonat the National Girls' Schools Aquatics Festival, hostedby UNISI, and Saints very own Jubilee Gala. Saintsalso won the Interhigh Gala Diving Trophy for the 5thconsecutive year. I was most impressed by the dedicationand commitment shown by all the girls this season, by

the new divers and the older ones.

AthleticsThey had their final Inter»School meeting at homeon Thursday 9 October andnished the season with theInter House Athletics onMonday 13 October.

Congratulations go to

Phillipa Kirschner on herProvincial Representation.Our sincere thanks goto Mrs Winter for herorganization of the athleticsin the third term and toMiss Tasker, Miss Mullan,

Mr; 5 hpw uv

Well done to KimRisely, Caryn Freeman and Kim Lindsay»Smrth for beingselected for the Gauteng Aquatics Team 2003. I want toencourage all Saints divers to keep working just as hardor even harder in years to come. You have all made mevery proud to be your captain. Always remember: diversin doubt pike out!

Mrs Ross, Mrs Galanakis, MrCruickshanks, Miss Malinga,Mr Moore and Mrs DuPlessis for their assistance.

1 wait/mob:

Equestrian Interschool League

This year was the rst year that equestrian competitionwas recognised by ISASA as an of cial school sport.With the formation of the ISASA Equestrian InterschoolLeague, it has been possrble for nineteen schools tocompete, as school teams, against each other Duringthe year, tour qualifying shows were held where riderscompeted in the disciplines of: Dressage, Equitation,Show Riding, Performance Riding, Working Ridingand Show Jumping. Only the top 10 schools in eachdiscipline and level were invited to bring a team to thefinal championship show held on Saturday the 13th ofSeptember at Westlakes Equestrian Centre.

At the championship St. Stithians was represented bythe following team of 9 riders: Genevreve Cawood

(Equitation), Pasquale Cawood (Equitation, ShowJumping), Hayley Collett (Show Jumping), DominiqueDe Villiers (Equitation, Show Jumping), Gretna Ferreira(Dressage, Equitation), Marine Gouws (Equitation,Show Jumping), Corinne Grobbelaar (Equitation, ShowJumping), Peat Kruger (Performance Riding, WorkingRiding) and Savannah Lloyd (Dressage, PerformanceRiding, Working Riding, Show Jumping).

Our very small team did us proud, competing with truehorsemanshlp and Saints Spirit. Well done to all theriders for an incredible achievement this year!

HIV/[{V (wild! (azpimn)

Life SavingMany syllabus changes have taken place recently inthe Life Savrng Sport, demanding that it becomes aspecialist sport run at club level,

I have welcomed these changes, as it means that thestudents can no longer participate in an elementarycourse and then feel that they are fully fledged LifeGuards. This is a potentially fatal assumption for boththe student and the person needing rescuing.

Future requirements stipulate that the student will needto join a specialist Life Saving Club, which will have thelatest equipment and knowledge to train and develop

Netball

The season started with a tour to the High PerformanceCentre In Pretoria for all seniors. Flexibility, strengthand skills were all tested and each girl learnt exactlywhich category she needed to improve on.

It was an extremely busy season as, for the rst time,the school entered into both the government and theprivate school league matches. Nonetheless, girlscontinued to exceed expectations, with many teamsmaking it to the nals of the leagues.

All the girls showed incredible dedication andcommitment and there was an overwhelming sense ofteam spirit.

Marie kmwuw

IANSGIRLS CELLEGE 26113

interested students. The students will then have tocomplete a number of community service hours at apublic venue before receiving their awards. During thistime, they will have the opportunity to practise the skillsthey have learnt, whilst being monitored and correctedby professional Life Savers. This is an important stepforward, ensuring the safety of the student.

To develop life saving skills, in 2004 the school willbe offering training in Personal Life Saving Skills" tointerested students.

Mn a; mile,

During this last season, the Girls' Rowing Club hasachieved its best results yet and has proven to be strongcompetition for other clubs.

The season began with a camp held at the end of theAugust holiday. Hours of training on and off the waterwas a good way to introduce the Grade 75 (the incomingGrade 85) to the sport and what it is all about,

The regattas during the rst half of the season wereof a high standard and the results showed a bigimprovement in the girls rowing These results wereobtained at various regattas including the SaintsRegatta and the Gauteng Championships Results worthmentioning from The Gauteng Championships are:Third in the U16 DoubleSecond in the U16 QuadSecond in the Girls' Open doubleFirst place in the Girls' First Quad

Our December holidays were soon over and, beforewe knew it, we were back on camp initiating our newintake of Grade 85. This year has seen the largest intake

SquashI would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Steynand Mrs Pienaar for guiding all the squash girls so wellthis year. To our coaches, John and Diana Argyle, andtheir resulting grey hairs, thank you, your time andeffort are much appreciated. Squash at St Stithians ismoving from strength to strength, with two new squashcourts and improvements to the other four. We wantto thank past squash players and the school s nancialsupport, for making these new squash courts possible.We ve had a quiet year because of the building of thenew courts, but the tradition of 24hr squash and otherevents will continue to be fun for the girls next year.

As well as a great social sport, I would encourage

Rowingof U145 yet, and they have formed anexcellent foundation for the club. it wasback to training hard as the busy partof the season had arrived with the VaalRegatta, the Buffalo Regatta Tour and theSouth African Championships.

Yet again, the girls club produced a highstandard of results, not only winningwithin their age groups, but winning as awhole club, This was done at the GeneralSmus Regatta and Germiston High SchoolRegatta.

The rst quad maintained their outstandingseason by winning at the Vaal RivieraRegatta and at the Buffalo Regatta. TheBuffalo tour was held in East London and itwas a worthwhile tour with the open girlsproducing commendable results across the

board.

The season culminated with extremely successfulperformances from all the age groups at the annualSouth African Championships held at Roodeplaat Dam.in the South African Championships we achieved:Second in the U14 DoubleFirst in the U14 QuadSecond in the U16 QuadThird in First ScullsThird in First DoubleFirst in First Quads

Well done to all the girls who rowed this season andcontributed towards making it our best season yet.

jam mm 21:: Mas/m

many of the girls at the Girls College to participate inProvincial trials, as their talent is obvious. Again, thisyear, two pupils have achieved provincial representationfor squash.

While playing squash you don t realise the reallygood workout you achieve because of the fun aspect.However, it is an amazing, unique sport and I encourageall girls to give it a try- you won t regret it. Good luckto all the girls for next year, I want to thank you all,and Laura Marsden from the bottom of my heart, for anunforgettable year.

lief/Wm rm!

VIII/frrl .

Swimming

Our 2003 swimming season was one of sweat, bloodtears... and well-earned victory. Each girl was extremelydedicated when it came to training (to avoid the wrathof Mrs van) and gave of her best at galas. Our teamwent from strength to strength, winning the majority ofour galas and showrng amazing spirit and courage. Ourtour to Bloemfontein was a turning point in the season,as it was time to start psyching ourselves up for theclimax of our season ,,,,, INTER HIGH. Although manywere pessimistic about our chances of Winning, our teamstuck together as one Singular sensation , and Saints

ended up winning the gala (with the precious helpof our divers), Our team was lucky to have constantsupport from our incredible coach, without whomwe would not have been successful. This truly was aseason to remember, and the bonds formed will not beeasily broken. The smiles and laughs shared are whatcarried us through. As was said before ...you guys wereLEGENDARY!

int/w mum mi pin/WM mommy

Touch RugbyOur Touch Rugby season proved to be short, butsuccessful,

We started our season with a fantastic victory of 7 2against Parktown Girls' High, which secured our firstteam a position in the Gauteng Girls Super League.Our second team was also privileged enough to walkaway With a superb victory in their first match, whichwould determine what diVision they would be playingin. Although half of the second team was inexperiencedjunior players, they seemed to grasp the concept of thegame fairly quickly,

The Super League is the highest league that a team canqualify to play in, and con5ists of only four of the topmost experienced Gauteng teams. The four qualifyingteams were St Martin s lst team, Parktown Girls' tstteam, Greenside High 15t team, and St Stithians Girls'lst team.

We realised that we were up against tough competitionand this meant making a commitment and practisingharder than ever before. Every Wednesday, we sacrificedan hour and a haif of our afternoons to train in order toimprove our game and skills.

64 SAINTS STITHIANS GIRLS COLLEGE 200:!

However, due to bad weather, our many hours ofpractice didn t pay off, because the matches werecancelled. Our junior team was faced with theopportunity to play another match, but came off secondbest. As a result of only four teams being in the SuperLeague, our first team made it through to the semi-nals without having to play another match.

In order to complete our rst team, we had to borrowa few players from our second team. Having previouslylost to St Martin s 12 1, we came back strongly andstayed on par With them throughout the match andonly lost by one point in a grueling sudden death." Wethen went on to play Greenside High for the 3rd placeposition in the league. Although exhausting, this matchproved to be successful after a stunning victory tryin yet another sudden death" play off. We ended upwinning the bronze medal and quali ed for third positionin the Super League.

We extend our gratitude to Mr McBride. We are foreverindebted to his commitment and effort and we willsincerely miss him. It was a great season and we arewaiting in anticipation for the next season.

in iiwh .» twins .rm Ji'um .vziziia

Girl s SoccerMany girls have embraced this new sport withenthusiasm this year. Girls soccer is played by only7 schools in Gauteng during the third term. In ourrst ever soccer xture, we were able to eld a juniorand a senior team against Sandown High School. Weperformed fairly well, considering that it was our rst

WaterpoloThis has been one of our best tournaments, home and away,seasons yet, but for some, and with our excellent resultsour last. Waterpolo this year made our school proud. Evenreached new heights and an getting out of the pool withextremely competitive level of torn costumes and scratchesplay. It was amazing to see across our backs could notso many enthusiastic juniors dampen our enthusiasm. Wellwanting to learn the game and done, guys. Keep up the goodjust getting in and scoring. work and never lose faith, IThe juniors had a most know you'll go far. I shall misssuccessful season. you.

The lst team must be rmmzze WWWcongratulated on theirtremendous efforts. With thehelp of our new coach, wewere a team to be reckonedwith. We played in many

match and we had had only one practice. The juniorteam drew 1 1 and the senior team lost 2-0. I knowthat girls soccer will go from strength to strength and Ilook forward to experiencing the journey.

Mlo t M. J/(egx!

The season as a whole has beenvery successful. At the beginning ofthe season, the lsts and 2nds went

on tour to the High PerformanceCentre in Pretoria. The teams builtup team spirit and ne-tuned their

skills. The lsts have taken partin numerous festivals during the

season, including the Saints Festival,St Mary s Festival and Roedean

Festival. At the Roedean Festival wemanaged to take 2nd place.

After a most enjoyable andsuccessful season, Saints was placed

2nd in the League. All the girlsplayed with incredible team spirit

and the season will be rememberedby all.

lm/Vii (it M/h fals.

SAINTS TREK

Saints Trek

The Saints Trek took place during the August holidaysand into the first week of the third term, Apart from thegirls and boys from Saints, ve international exchangestudents, all girls From Australla, as well as three girlsfrom DSG in Grahamstown, participated In the Trek.

This was the second year that the Trek took place atPhilippolis and In the surrounding wllderness areas. Thetime in Philippolis itself was spent working on a numberof communiw based prOJects. From joining in on theSunday church service in Bergmanshoogte to creatinga vegetable garden, working with the llttle ones at theCreches and teaching lessons at the primary school,pupils had a wonderful learning experience. The librawat the high school was painted, both inside and out,and the books were sorted into usable order. Afternoonswere spent playing soccer and netball With the localchildren. Preparation for the next day s activities tookplace in the evenings and great fun was had by all.

A er a busy week in Philippolis, trekkers set off tohike along the Gariep River valley. The weather waswonderful, although the nights and early mornings werefreezmgl Adventure and personal challenge was the

order of the day as participants walked the gorges andwide plains of the Karoo, experienced the sunsets, starsand camaraderie of fellow trekkers.

mu Milan

66 WWWIANS GIRLS' COLLEGEm

Saints Trek from a

trekker s perspectiveSome of the most memorable and valuable experienceshappen by chance. For me, Saints Trek was mostde nitely one of them.

The Saints Trek involved travelling to a small, Isolatedtownship called Philippolis, where a group of Grade 10boys and girls from St Stithians, DSG In Grahamstowri,

and exchange students from Australia were to liveamongst a community who were in need of our poSitiveenergy and optimism.

From the moment we stepped off the bus, we weresurrounded by kids who would soon become ourtemporary shadows. Seeing a group of people so fullof life, who needed our help, was a real eye opener;not only did we realise how much we have, but moreimportantly how much we have to give.

Revamping the library, helping in the clinic, playing inthe creches, teaching lessons, and creating a veggiepatch were a few of the objectives for the trek, but the

more important and challenging tasks were to take theform of "extra curricular activities, like bonding withthe kids during the endless afternoons of soccer andnetball, played by almost every child In the town. Wewere also given the opportunity to sing in the Collegeassembly, as well as a chance to practise our slightly

rusty Afrikaans.

New bonds and friendships, along with trust andmotivation, were developed on our hike to the new,

amazing, and unfamiliar skies of the Karoo, which

turned out to be exceptionally rustic. Some of usadapted to the new environment pretty well, whileothers took a little longer to master the art of burningtoilet paper without burning down the whole Karoo atthe same time.

The Saints Trek Will never be forgotten: the smilingfaces; the times when our hearts cried and other timeswhen they rejoiced; the constant gratitude; the newfriends; breathtaking views of places we never knewexisted and the timeless memories.

Saints Trek showed us what we are capable of togetherand indiViduallv, and that life is grand; life is great;life, is beautiful.

i mum Ri $ l7'4/1 Z

An Overview from the Academic Committee

The Academic Committee strives to promote academics in terms of hard work, not merely apropos achieving Asymbols, but for individuals to meet their personal goals.

This year the Academic Committee helped co-ordlnate the Academic Awards Evening and various Parents Evenings. Wecontinued the peer tutoring programme, which was set up last year. We also set the general knowledge quiz, which wasa great success. Our most challenging task was to oppose the decision concerning the new mathematics formula sheet

for Matric. Even though our suggestions were not implemented we gave the IEB some food for thought.

mama DuxHyatt zydmdewuc [otlu u tl

Maths Olympiad Results 2003

After a record 149 girls qualifying for the 2nd round of the Harmony Gold National Mathematits Olympiad we weredelighted to have 5 girls in the top 100 juniors and 4 girls in the top 100 senior achievers in Gauteng.

Juniors - Gd 8 Robyn CharltonSusan TissimanAmber Brown

Gd 9 Jenica BlondeelKim Lovegrove

Seniors - Gd 11 Ingrid von GlehnTamara von Glehn

Gd 12 Kristin CronjeJennifer Lines

The van Glehn twins and Kristin Cronje quali ed in the top 100 countrywide and thus were invited to write the veryprestigious third round of the competition. We are delighted with the results so far, as about 30 000 pupils compete in

the rst round.

Both Ingrid and Tamara von Glehn were awarded bronze medals at the International Mathematics Olympiad in Japanthis year, with Tamara achieving the top South African score.

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