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.
The Union Schools’ rugby coaches, from prep school through to high school level, had the privilege of attending ๐ฎ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ “๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ณ-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐” ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ this afternoon.
The session, held on the Union High School, Graaff-Reinet sports grounds, was presented by Decision Making & Scrumhalf Specialist Coach, Deon de Kock, from Ratel Rugby Academy.
A scrum-half himself, De Kock was capped twice for the Springboks on the 2001 tour of Europe and the United States. He debuted off the bench against Italy in Genoa and was starting scrum-half against the United States in Houston. De Kock also played in the Super 12 for the Bulls and Lions during his career.
Our coaches and players were fully engaged in the interactive session, as the knowledge and expertise shared by coach Deon de Kock was truly exceptional.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ณ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ Coach Deon de Kock for sharing his expertise with our boys and coaches.
“Despite our initial intention to conduct this workshop on a much larger scale, we are appreciative that we were able to deliver it to our coaches. We eagerly anticipate organising future clinics that will encompass a wider range of positions and include all enthusiastic coaches from the larger community,” stated Union’s Head of Junior Sport, Mr Mpilo Njoloza.
Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s junior hockey teams’ matches against a visiting Sunridge Primary School today, delivered a mix of outcomes.
In the match between Union’s u/13D side and Sunridge’s u/11A team, the Union team faced a tough challenge and unfortunately lost with a final score of 0 – 4. ๐ฟ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐จ๐จ, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐.
Union’s u/13C team drew 0 – 0 in a hard-fought match against their opponents.
The u/13B team engaged in a closely contested match, ending in a 1 – 1 draw. Both teams put up a strong fight, resulting in a well-deserved shared outcome.
Similarly, the u/13A team played a competitive match, ending in a goalless draw with a final score of 0 – 0.
Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s senior sports teams enjoyed a successful day in their respective sporting codes today.
Our ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ teams faced off at home against Spandau Secondary School, achieving the following results:
U/14A won 10 – 5 U/15A won 36 – 7 U/16A won 26 – 19 2nd XV won 5 – 0 1st XV won 20 – 15: Union got off to a very good startย leading the game by 10 – 0 in the first 15 minutes of the game. Spandau managed to quickly catch up and leveled the score, going into half time. Union managed to score again taking the score to 15 – 10 but Spandau put us under pressure and then managed to score once again, scores stay level until Union managed to score a try right at the end, winning the game by 20 – 15.
