Bulletin, Student Life

Gr 6 Excursion

And the fun begins!

Union’s Grade 6 learners set off on their annual excursion to Kirkwood this morning, Monday, 2 September.

Upon their arrival at the African Imprint Outdoor Centre on the banks of the Sundays River, the fun immediately got underway with the group of experienced facilitators putting the learners through their paces in a variety of tasks which test their agility, skills, perseverance and team spirit. We hope the learners enjoy the next couple of days and make lasting memories!

DAY 1

DAY 2

Union’s Grade 6 learners are having a muddy ball on Day 2 (Tuesday, 3 September) of their Kirkwood excursion.

DAY 3

The Grade 6s are on their way home after an action-packed couple of days in Kirkwood.

Before hitting the road, however, they managed to fit in a quick early morning rowing session.

Bulletin, Student Life

Prepping for Odyssey

Union’s Grade10s are getting stronger and fitter by the week.

Today they walked Mountain Drive with heavy-laden backpacks to get used to the weight on their shoulders in preparation for this year’s Odyssey adventure.

At this time, two weeks from now, they will be setting up camp for their second night in the canyon.

Bulletin, Cultural

Union Hosts 40-board Chess Simul

This past Saturday, 31 August, Union High School hosted the first ever simultaneous chess exhibition to be played in the Karoo.

The only learner who managed to beat Kirstein, was Rowan Swemma from Asherville Secondary School – he walked away with a handsome prize of R500.

The competition saw chess aficionado, Mr. Ian Kirstein, playing against 40 chess-loving individuals – at the same time!  Kirstein had to walk from player to player, making his moves after only having had a short chance to assess the board.  His competitors, however, had plenty of time to consider their position and strategy while he was playing the other 39 players.

The day’s longest match lasted 3½ hours, while the majority of the matches lasted 2½ hours.  Kirstein didn’t falter under the pressure and managed to win 36 out of the 40 matches.  He conceded two matches to chess coaches JP Kruger (Union High School) and Morne Naudé (Karel Theron Primêre Skool).

The only learner who managed to beat Kirstein, was Rowan Swemma from Asherville Secondary School – he walked away with a handsome prize of R500.  The last match of the day ended in a draw, with Siphosethu Fortuin playing ’till the bitter end.

This was an inspiring morning of pure chess brilliance and Union would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous contributions that made this event possible: the Prescient Foundation, Blue Magnolia Nursery, Drostdy Toyota, Mrs. Kruger, Dr. Larson, Mrs. Jill Rose-Innes and Karoo Living.

Union hopes to, in future, host more events of this nature to promote chess in the district.