Bulletin, Hostels

HAH MasterChef

Boarders cook up a storm

On Election Day, Wednesday, 8 May, Union’s Herby Arnott House held a fun MasterChef competition to celebrate the mid-week public holiday.

All the boarders were divided into teams, after which they were all given the same set of ingredients with which to showcase their impressive food skills.  The dishes were judged on creativity, appearance and taste.

There are definitely some chefs in the making at Herby Arnott, as the judges were very impressed with the level of creativity the boarders displayed during this fun and engaging cook-off.

Bulletin, Student Life

Manners Matter!

At Union, we strive to encourage proper etiquette, good manners and courteous behaviour among our learners to nurture a culture where learners respect their peers and authority figures such as teachers and coaches.

Today we received these photos from Christo Pietersen accompanied by the comment, “Impressed with the well-behaved boys”.

As the most effective approach to instilling good manners in a child is by being an example of proper etiquette yourself, we’d like to thank the exceptional parents of the Union schools as well as the members of staff and, in fact, the Union community as a whole for setting the example and for showing our learners the value of proper etiquette.

Most importantly we’d like to thank the learners for being such splendid ambassadors for our school!

Cultivating good manners takes time, but the rewards of respectful, well-behaved learners are truly endless.

Bulletin, Cultural

Interact

Representatives of Union’s Interact Club recently paid a visit to the Khomanani White Door Centre of Hope (WDCOH) in Graaff-Reinet.

This local centre is one of only four White Door Centres in South Africa that serve as a victim reception centre that provides a short term safe space that victims can access if they need to wait for professional services, including the police.

The purpose of the Interact Club’s visit was to hand over a special donation of soft toys and journals which they hope will, in future, provide some comfort to the traumatised young children being aided by the centre.

Seen here is the Interact Club’s chairperson, Siphesihle Jali, and deputy-chairperson, Jada Smith, presenting the package to the centre’s representative Ms. Sweetness Langa.

 

Bulletin

Banquet Preparations In Full Swing

Preparations are well underway for Union’s much-anticipated Centenary Banquet being held this evening (Friday, 3 May) on the school’s beautiful sports grounds.

The Marquee has been pitched, the décor is being put up, the preparations in the kitchens are in full swing and the excitement has reached new heights.

This black-tie event, which promises to be a most memorable evening, will see close to 300 guests celebrate the school’s 100th birthday with top class catering, a cash bar, dancing and entertainment.

The banquet starts at 18:30 with guests being greeted upon arrival by the beautiful sounds of the school’s choirs and marimba bands.

Please note that entry to the banquet will be through the Bruce Maree Gates, with parking being available in Caledon Street and in the parking areas of the boarding house.

Bulletin, Student Life

Anti-Bullying Campaign

Anti-bullying campaign kicks into high gear

In 2017, Union High School’s Interact Club launched an anti-bullying campaign.  Over the past two years, their initial campaign has grown into a long-term project with a proactive, multi-faceted whole-school approach to the problem of bullying.

At first, a number of awareness campaigns were undertaken, including the introduction of a Bully-Bin to the school’s campus.  Since then -, supported by an effective anti-bullying policy – the focus has been on creating a safe and positive environment for the learners in the classrooms and on the school grounds with everyone working together to create a climate where bullying is not acceptable.

On Wednesday, 1 May, Old Unionite Ingrid Kingwill joined forces with Union in this initiative by training 13 peer counsellors to support the emotional and academic wellbeing of fellow learners.  This has been implemented as a support scheme to reduce bullying and as a means of reducing the psychological effects thereof on learners.

Union’s sincere gratitude is extended to Ingrid for her willingness to invest in the wellbeing of the school.

All peer counsellors who participated in the training found it an enriching experience and we have no doubt that this project will grow from strength to strength.

Bulletin, Hostels

HAH Doughnut Derby

The boarders at Union’s Herby Arnott House had a blast this past Wednesday, 1 May, celebrating the mid-week public holiday by competing amongst each other in some fun games.

Seen here are some of the girls participating in ‘Doughnuts on a String’ which is like “bobbing for apples” in reverse. Instead of dunking your head into water, you’re stretching as high as you can to nibble on dangling doughnuts. The doughnuts bob and sway, which is challenging enough, but then add the extra touch – no using your hands!

Bulletin, Media Team

Union News

Union News – 2 May 2019

The UHS Behind the Scenes media team’s latest edition  of ‘Union News’  features a segment on the Elevate Education group and their activities at Union. Watch it here:

https://www.facebook.com/unionhighschool/videos/2186069865025368/

Academic, Bulletin

Salisbury Connection 2019

The two UHS learners participating in the 2019 Salisbury Exchange Programme, Matthew Davenport and Caytah-Leigh Koeberg, have officially started their schooling at the Salisbury Cathedral School in the UK.

They have been issued with their new uniforms, explored the school (which is spectacularly located on the beautiful grounds of Salisbury Cathedral) and are very excited about all that lies in store for them these next three months.

It is tradition for exchangees and gappies to leave their names on a brick in the boarding house of the Salisbury Cathedral School. Upon arrival, Matthew quickly found that of Brent Hesselink and Jude Langmead, who travelled to the UK in 2018. Mrs. Gerber’s (then Miss van Zyl) name is also on the wall, reminding us of her time as a gappie a few years back!

 

 

Bulletin

Top Matriculant Still Achieving

Anje Oelofsen, Union High School’s top matriculant of 2017, is now also excelling at university.

Anje, who matriculated from Union with 6 distinctions, was recently presented with a Merit Award from the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) School of Accounting for her 1st place in the 2018 academic year on the 1st Year level of the BCom (Accounting Sciences) Programme

Anje, who had Accounting with Mr. Christopher Felix while at Union, achieved a 97% for the subject in her final matric examinations.

Bulletin, Hockey

EPHF Umpiring Course

UHS learners Kyle-Luke du Preez and Kendall Krige recently attended an umpiring course hosted by the Eastern Province Hockey Federation (EPHF) in Port Elizabeth.

After successfully completing the course and the online examination shortly thereafter, each candidate was awarded an official SAHA “Level 0” umpire’s certificate.

This is in effect a “learner’s license” for umpiring which gives the newly-qualified umpire access to a number of opportunities within the province for gaining practical experience and receiving further coaching from umpires’ coaches.