The members of the 2018/19 prefect body enjoyed a fun evening with the newly elected 2019/20 prefects in the Tony Burrell Union on Monday evening, 16 September.
The evening saw the prefects engage in several fun activities and games, during which the old prefects sharing some of the knowledge they’ve acquired and lessons they’ve learned over the past year with the newly inducted prefects.
Steve and Belinda Grewar recently gifted Union High School a large canvas, with a scriptural reference that reads as follows:
“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 113:3”
The canvas was mounted in the school’s main quad and bears testament to the school’s inherent Christian ethos which is promoted in all aspects of school life.
The school thanks them for this thoughtful gesture!
This past Saturday, 14 September, some of Union’s Arthur Kingwill House boys and Herby Arnott House girls participated in the second annual Tracks4Cancer event in Graaff-Reinet.
This fundraising event, which saw the learners running and cycling through the Camdeboo National Park, was held in support of the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association
Union extends its thanks to the organisers for a fantastic event, Mr. Hanno Sparrius for arranging the learners’ participation and the boarders for their enthusiasm.
Old Unionite Ronnie Spies Jnr has recently embarked on an adventure of a lifetime!
In an endeavor to raise awareness of mental health problems as well as environmental issues, he is attempting the first ever solo walk around the circumference of South Africa – a distance of over 6 000 kilometres.
This feat has never been achieved by anyone before.
Follow his journey at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1110939349295501/
Every year in September, Union Preparatory School hosts a ‘Party of HOPE’ in support of the Cupcakes of HOPE non-profit organisation.
By way of selling brightly coloured, freshly-baked cupcakes, they raise funds for kids with cancer who are in need of medical and financial assistance
Always willing to offer their assistance, Union High School’s Interact members aided the initiative by selling cupcakes at the high school.
Life is full of great adventures and Union’s Grade 10s are lucky enough to have embarked on quite a spectacular one this morning!
The learners set off on the 2019 Odyssey bright and early today, Sunday, 15 September, which will see them journey all the way from Nieu-Bethesda to Graaff-Reinet on foot, carrying all they need to be completely self-sufficient in the wilderness on their backs.
We wish all of them well on what can only be discribed as a journey of self-discovery!
To quote Rich Ridgeway, “The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask.”
Day 1 of the Grade 10 learners’ 5-day Odyssey was a relatively easy hike and gave the learners the opportunity to slowly adjust to their heavy backpacks.
The group finished the day in good spirits, eagerly anticipating the next leg of the journey.
On Sunday afternoon, 8 September, Mrs Lehesta Galloway took the Herby Arnott House girls to view the geological phenomenon that is the Valley of Desolation.
The Camdeboo National Park’s most popular sight, the Valley of Desolation – often called ‘The Cathedral of the Mountains’ – is a hauntingly beautiful valley with outstanding views featuring rugged, piled dolerite columns set against the backdrop of the endless Karoo plains.
From the nearby Toposcope viewpoint, which was also visited by the girls, Graaff-Reinet can be viewed in its entirety from above, nestled in a bend of the Sundays River.
Earlier today, Wednesday, 11 September, with South African National Parks Week in full swing, the ground staff and cleaning ladies of Union Pre-School, Union Preparatory School and Union High School were treated to a special picnic at the viewing deck at the parking area of the Valley of Desolation in the Camdeboo National Park to thank them for their hard work and contribution to the efficient running of the school.
A bench dedicated to the memory of Jenni Wiggill (6 December 1959 – 5 December 2018) has recently been added to the Union High School campus.
The bench was donated to the Union Schools by the friends and family of Jenni Wiggill, as well as the Class of 1977.
The bench is situated in the shade of a tree, between the Union High School’s AstroTurf and the adjacent tennis courts.
Union’s cricketers will soon benefit from improved training facilities as all of the lanes at the cricket training nets are currently being fitted with new top-of-the-range carpets.
We hope this investment in our training facilities will lead to an outcome players, parents and the wider community will be very proud of in the cricket seasons to come.