Category: Bulletin

The prefects of Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s Arthur Kingwill House recently embarked on an unforgettable 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠-𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 at Asante Sana Private Game Reserve.

𝘚𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

The highlight of their experience was a 3-hour game drive, during which they were fortunate to see a lot of wildlife.

Early morning walks immersed them in the serenity of the reserve, while quiet moments around the bonfire provided the perfect setting for bonding and reflection.

As night fell, the sound of elephants grazing and trumpeting near their accommodation created goosebump-inducing moments, adding a touch of magic to the experience.

Brain breaks filled with excitement, scrumptious meals that tantalized the taste buds, and engaging sessions around the table fostered camaraderie and personal growth among the prefects.

𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀’ 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.

In a heartwarming display of compassion and community spirit, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s Representative Council of Learners (RCL) and Interact Club joined forces throughout 2023 to raise an amount of R5 000 for the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association.

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳.

The RCL and Interact organised various functions that not only brought the school community together but also served as platforms to raise funds for this noble cause. Dances, bake sales and civvies days were among the activities that captured the enthusiasm and participation of the learners. One particularly noteworthy event was the October Cancer Drive, which included a civvies day where learners were encouraged to dress up in support of cancer awareness. Additionally, a Remembrance Board for Ribbons for Cancer was created to honour those who have fought against this formidable disease. The highlight of the drive was Dr. Van Gensen’s Cancer Awareness speech, which dealt with the impact of smoking as a factor in the development of certain cancers as well as the prevention and treatment thereof.

 The culmination of these efforts was marked by a heartfelt handover ceremony. Lisakhanye Zonke, an executive RCL member in 2023 and the current Chairperson of the RCL, had the privilege of presenting the raised funds to Mrs Maxie van Aswegen of the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹. Their dedication, enthusiasm and unwavering spirit of giving have truly made a difference. The RCL and Interact members have exemplified what it means to be compassionate citizens, showcasing their ability to rally together and create change.

As we express our gratitude to the learners for their remarkable efforts, we also eagerly anticipate witnessing their continued endeavors in the future. 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s Senior Department also welcomed two new additions to its staff this year!

Firstly, we are delighted to welcome back 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀, who has previously taught at Union and will now be the Class Teacher for Grade 8B. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮. Mrs Botes will be teaching Geography to our Grade 10, 11, and 12 learners, Social Sciences to our Grade 8 and 9 students, as well as Life Orientation and PE for our Grade 8 and 9 learners.

Secondly, we are excited to introduce 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗵, a fresh new face at Union. Miss Bosch joins us as the Class Teacher for Grade 9B. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮. Miss Bosch will be teaching Afrikaans FAL to our Grade 11 and 12 students, Life Orientation to our Grade 11 and 9 learners, and she will also be responsible for Life Orientation and PE for our Grade 12, 10, 9 and 8 learners.

We are confident that Mrs Botes and Miss Bosch will make a positive impact on our learners’ education and well-being. Please join us in welcoming them to Union. 𝙒𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s Junior Department was excited to welcome two 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦 to its compliment of staff at the beginning of the year.

𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄𝘀 has seamlessly settled into her role and is providing excellent instruction to our learners. In addition to being the class teacher for Grade 7M, she is teaching a diverse range of subjects such as Life Skills and Art for the Grade 5 learners, Afrikaans and Natural Sciences and Technology for the Grade 7s and Life Orientation and PT for the Grade 6 girls.

We are also thrilled to have 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆-𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗲𝗹𝘀 on our team. Her dedication and passion for teaching is evident in her work. Miss Abels is the Class Teacher for Grade 6A and is teaching mathematics for our Grade 5s and 6s, as well as Life Orientation and PT for the Grade 5 and 6 boys.

We are confident that both Miss Matthews and Miss Abels will contribute greatly to the growth and development of our learners. 𝙒𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet marked a significant milestone this afternoon as it celebrated the official opening of its recently resurfaced AstroTurf. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡’𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨’ 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Underneath the blue skies, the school’s hockey players, along with their parents, staff, friends of the Union Schools and Old Unionites gathered on the pristine turf for the special ceremony. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and pride as everyone awaited the momentous event.

Addressing the assembled community, Headmaster Mr William Pringle extended a warm welcome to all attendees and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to those who played a vital role in making this project a reality. 𝙃𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩.

With great joy and a shared sense of accomplishment, the ceremonial red ribbon was cut, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Union Schools.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺.

With the newly resurfaced AstroTurf serving as a testament to Union’s commitment to providing its learners with top-notch facilities, the celebration of this achievement during Founders’ Weekend made the occasion even more remarkable – 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s Old Boys & Girls took to the field on Friday & Saturday, 26 & 27 January, in the traditional Founders’ Weekend cricket and hockey matches against the learners.

A lot of fun was had as these matches are not only about what happens on the field, but also on the sidelines and afterwards as current and former Unionites of al vintages share some time together.

CRICKET AWARDS

At the cricket prizegiving ceremony held in the Tony Burrell Union upon conclusion of the day’s play, the following trophies were presented by Mr Rhett Newton, Chairman of the Old Unionite Association:

• Best Bowler – 1st XI: Shaakir Kazi
• Best Batsman – 1st XI: Xavier Barlow
• The Dave Stern Memorial Award for an up-and-coming cricketer: Xavier Barlow
• Most valuable player of the day – 1st XI: Yonela Wana

• Best Schoolboy Performer – 2nd XI: Joshua Neill
• Best Schoolboy Performer – u/15: John-Henry King

𝘔𝘳 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴’ 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘏𝘚 1𝘴𝘵 𝘟𝘐 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳’𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳.

HOCKEY AWARDS

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴, 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵.

A round of applause goes to our outstanding 1st team players who received well-deserved recognition. 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗧𝗢 Amber Slater, awarded the title of ‘Most Promising Player’, Caytah-Leigh Koeberg, securing the ‘Best Defender’ award, and Leigh-Ann Murray, claiming the top spot for ‘Best Goal.’

𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙅𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙘𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 – 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨.

In a tradition that never fails to impress, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet once again hosted its annual 𝗚𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 & 𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.

The event took place this past Saturday morning as part of Union’s Founders’ Weekend festivities. With the 2024 Matric Farewell Committee moms and kids taking charge of the decor, this year’s theme, the ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party,’ added an extra touch of whimsy to the occasion.

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵, 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦.

As the attendees stepped foot onto the school grounds, they were greeted by the delightful melodies played by local musician Archie Pienaar on the keys. Quirky decor elements were scattered throughout, with cups hanging from trees and delightful hats adorning all the guests.

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣’𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙁𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙨.

The two guest speakers, Mrs Karen Scott and Mrs Anziske Kayster, delivered powerful messages during the event. With a focus on self-acceptance and challenging societal norms around princess culture, their speeches left a lasting impression on all in attendance.

All those lucky enough to attend were also treated to a mouthwatering array of eats and drinks and, to add an extra layer of excitement, lucky draw giveaways were generously provided, offering a chance for attendees to win fabulous prizes.

As usual, the Gisela Kingwill Mother & Daughter resulted in a truly magical affair – with empowering speeches, cool surroundings, melodic tunes, delectable treats and lucky draw giveaways, 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗨𝗟.

Visit our Facebook Page to view photographs of the event.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet is beaming with pride as it celebrates the exceptional achievement of Caitrin Spence, the Head Girl for 2023.

Caitrin’s outstanding performance in the recent matric exams has seen her being recognised as the 3rd highest achieving matriculant in the ECDoE’s Cluster B, which consists of the Amathole East, Amathole West, Buffalo City, Chris Hani West, Nelson Mandela and Sarah Baartman districts.

Her remarkable success was recognized and celebrated at a special awards ceremony held in East London on Friday afternoon, 19 January.

Caitrin has also been awarded the Rupert Achievement Award for being the 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖 in Graaff-Reinet for 2023.

(𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘈𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴.)

The inspiring 2023 Head Girl of Union High School, Graaff-Reinet achieved an outstanding average of 92.63% and an impressive total of 9 subject distinctions in the recent NSC examinations.

𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀:

• English Home Language: 83%

• Afrikaans FAL: 87%

• Mathematics: 92%

• Life Orientation: 96%

• Accounting: 97%

• Information Technology: 96%

• Physical Sciences: 93%

• Tourism: 97%

• IEB’s Further Studies Mathematics: 86%

𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀

Caitrin has exciting plans for her future. She will be commencing her studies at Stellenbosch University next week, pursuing a degree in B Com Actuarial Sciences.

𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥.

It’s an extraordinary experience and a privilege for the Union Schools’ to be able to offer our young musicians the highest calibre learning and performance opportunities to assist them throughout their musical careers.

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 2024 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦.

Rocco de Villiers, undoubtedly one of South Africa’s most celebrated pianists, will visit Graaff-Reinet for a 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 #concert, in which some of our young, but formidably talented pianists, will join him for a programme of short sets.

𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙙𝙚 𝙑𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙨, the second half will see the flamboyant de Villiers entertain the audience with a magnificent performance on the piano.

This very special concert is set to take place on Friday evening, 16 February at 19:00 in the John Rupert Theatre.

Tickets will go on sale on 1 February from Union High School’s front foyer, so be sure to 𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘!