๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ to junior rugby players ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ and ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ, on being included in the 2024 u/13 Karoo rugby team that will be participating in the Sub-Union Rugby Tournament (๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ญ๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ) being held in Kariega as from tomorrow, Friday, 19 April.
Early Wednesday morning, 17 April (in fact, as early at 04:30!) saw an enthusiastic gathering at Union High School, Graaff-Reinet as the school’s boarders participated in a spirited ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ก.
The event – which was inspired by this year’s Olympic Games – aligned with the start of the 2024 Olympic Torch Run, which commenced in the historic city of Olympia, Greece, on Tuesday, 16 April.
๐ฟ๐ค๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐๐๐๐จ, the Grade 5 to 12 boarders from Arthur Kingwill House and Herby Arnott House embarked on an invigorating 8km relay along the R63 route into Graaff-Reinet.
After having navigated the darkness, the spirited runners were met by the younger residents of Max Kroon House outside the Union Pre-School as dawn broke, joining forces for the final stretch onto the school grounds.
๐ผ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐จ, ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐๐จ’ “๐พ๐๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ฉ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ง๐,” the torch was ceremoniously passed to hostel head prefects, Joy Merifield and Sobuhle Nyambali, who ignited the cauldron in a blaze of excitement.
Following this, the participants were treated to a delectable bacon and egg breakfast bun at the Tony Burrell Union before commencing their regular school day.
We extend our grateful thanks to Mr and Mrs Kingwill for arranging this wonderful event, the local traffic department for their assistance and to all the members of staff who assisted!
Earlier today, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s Grade 11 Geography learners enjoyed an educational outing to the Valley of Desolation, led by their teacher, Mrs Danelle Botes.
Filled with anticipation and curiosity, the learners eagerly delved into the rugged terrain, putting their classroom knowledge into practice. With Mrs Botes guiding them, they navigated through the unique geological formations, marveling at the towering dolerite columns that characterize the valley.
This past Sunday, 14 April, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet Grade 5 learner ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ป๐ participated in the 2024 Nelson Mandela Bay School District Series mountain bike league.
Cyclists competed on a challenging track, aiming to complete the 7 laps as swiftly as possible. The demanding terrain tested their endurance, technical skills and mental fortitude.
Reeceโs ability to navigate the course efficiently contributed significantly to her success.
The recent South African Level 2 Regional Championships Gala held in Oudtshoorn, witnessed an outstanding display of talent and determination from the Union High School, Graaff-Reinet swimming contingent.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ Ben Lemke, Zoรซ Mills, Angelique Kyanda-Kaboza, Alyssa Trollip and Daniel Davenport for their remarkable performances throughout the event – their achievements reflect the countless hours of training, perseverance and passion they have invested in their sport.
For ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐, securing a medal in the fiercely contested 100m Fly event was a testament to his hard work and resilience. Competing against a field of 30 – 40 swimmers from across the country, Daniel demonstrated his prowess by ranking in the Top 15 for most of his races, showcasing his potential for future success.
๐๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐พ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ-๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ฎ’๐ stellar performance saw her clinch two medals, including a gold in the 50m Freestyle event, where she also achieved a significant personal best time.
๐ญ๐ผรซ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐’ podium finishes in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke events underscored her exceptional talent and commitment to excellence. With silver medals in both events and notable improvements in her times, Zoรซ’s performance was nothing short of exemplary.
๐๐น๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฝโs bronze medal in the 200 Individual Medley and silver in the 100m Butterfly as well as her strong showing across multiple events highlighted her versatility and skill in the pool.
๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ธ๐ฒโs dominance in the pool was evident as he secured an impressive eight medals, including gold in events such as the 50m Breaststroke, 100m Freestyle, and 200m Individual Medley.
Congratulations to Zoรซ Mills, Ben Lemke, Alyssa Trollip, Daniel Davenport & Angelique Kyanda-Kaboza
With manic choreography, light-hearted humour, an amusing love story and sweet, singable songs, Union High School, Graaff-Reinetโs 2024 stage production โ โSeven Brides For Seven Brothersโ – offered a warm and lighthearted evening out to all those lucky enough to have secured a ticket for the show.
Along the way, the audience was treated to some irresistibly lively dancing and more than a few laughs as Milly guided Adam and his brothers through the wilderness of etiquette and courtship to the peaceful valley of requited love.
Caytah-Leigh Koeberg played lead bride Milly and Finn Cilliers portrayed lead brother Adam Pontipee.
Of the brothers, Gideon was played by Peter Michaels, Benjamin by Naโeem Mahomed, Caleb by Dylan Kivedo, Daniel by Josh Basson, Ephraim by Dumisa Mala, and Frank by Peter Michaels. (๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐น ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ถ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ด ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ค ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต.)
Of the brides, Alice was played by Amber Bezuidenhout, Dorcas by Lolitha Saki, Ruth by Lelomso Ngceba, Liza by Aaminah Steele, Martha by Jemae-Mari Davids, and Sarah by Joy Merifield.
๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ผ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ก๐ก๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ค-๐๐ฃ๐-๐๐๐ก๐-๐๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐จ๐จ๐ก๐ฎ, highlighting the heart-warming essence of the story, with each member of the ensemble bringing depth and vibrancy to the stage, captivating the audience with their strong vocals and harmonious melodies.
The infectious energy of the Going Courtinโ sequence, where Milly teaches the brothers proper manners and dance moves, resonated long after the curtains closed, leaving smiles etched on the faces of all those in attendance. The town social scene, brimming with lively dance-offs and comedic antics, also stood out as a true highlight, showcasing the talent of our performers.
Moreover, the fight choreography was fun with lots of moments where the brothersโ tendency to break out into a brawl made the audience laugh.
Overall, the cast of brothers, brides, competing suitors and townfolk – in fact too many talented learners to mention – delivered an uplifting visual feast – the only thing missing was an invitation to get up there and join the party!
๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น, ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ป’๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ. Their passion and dedication shone brightly on stage, leaving an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of witnessing their artistry.
Our senior hockey teams travel to Cradock for a hockey fixture against Cradock High School.
๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ท๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น-๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ, ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ’๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ. Despite displaying excellent hockey, they couldn’t convert their opportunities into goals, ultimately falling short with a 0 – 3 loss.
Congratulations to the u/16B side, who held Cradock’s 2nd team to a hard-fought 0 – 0 draw. Additionally, the u/16A team delivered a stellar performance, securing a 2 – 1 victory against Cradock’s u/16A team.
In our matches against Cradock High School, Union’s senior rugby teams experienced a mix of results.
The u/14A side faced a tough challenge, falling to a 12 – 38 defeat. However, the u/15A side managed to secure a thrilling victory with a 14 – 10 win. Continuing the winning streak, the u/16A team dominated with a 24 – 5 triumph.
Unfortunately, the 2nd XV couldn’t secure a win, losing 0 – 24.
In the final match of the day, the 1st XV fought hard but ultimately fell short, losing 13-34. Union got off to a good start but a mistake led to Cradock scoring their first try. Not long after that Union managed to convert a penalty kick, taking the score to 3 – 7 in favour of Cradock High School. Union managed to score a try through a perfectly executed backline move and we went in the half-time break 10 – 10.ย
In the second half Union seemed to struggle and just could not make things work. We managed to convert yet another penalty but costly mistakes and poor defense led to Cradock scoring 24 unanswered points in the second half. Cradock won the match by 13 – 34.ย
Congratulations to ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ฒ๐, a Grade 10 music student, for passing her recent ABRSM Performance Grade 5 Examination with an impressive 83% (Merit).
Samantha performed four pieces seamlessly, demonstrating excellent stage presence and confidence, as noted by the examiner.
Congratulations to ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐น๐, a Grade 11 music sturdent, for passing her ABRSM Grade 6 Performance Graded Practical Examination with a score of 81% (Merit).
She also showcased her ability to improvise and showed maturity and authenticity in her performances.
Erin’s music educator, Ms Zelda Oosthuizen, praised her diligent work, especially considering that Erin takes music as an additional module while still achieving subject music standard.
