Bulletin

Bulletin – April 2018

GO THE DISTANCE

Union High School’s production ‘Go the Distance’, written and directed by Avrille Putter and boasting a large cast of nearly 100 learners and crew, was a feast for the eye, ear and soul last week. The story, based on a young boxer, Zekiah Molope, brilliantly performed by Ikhona Koeberg, whisked the audience through the colourful streets, sheebeens and gyms of Sophiatown in the late 1950’s. ‘Go the Distance’ could have stood its own at any drama festival and those who were privy to the few hours of sheer energy, joyful song and dance, and clever witticism were in for a treat that way surpassed any regular high school production.

The show was cleverly narrated by Peter Watermeyer who held the story together with excellent acting and clear enunciation. In his likeable role as Frank, Peter clearly told the story of Zekiah – a struggling young boxer – who became a hero as he ‘went the distance’ against Duke Jackson – the reigning middleweight champion, also convincingly played by Damon Fouche. Frank tells the story of Zekiah to a group of school children, led by Sima Desemela, who was aptly cast as Busi. This talented young woman add-libbed her way through the show, adding many an hilarious punch line, and drew the entire audience and cast along with her skill. Her naughly co-horts provided much hilarity as they formed their own sub-plot to the main story-line. What was clearly evident is just how much these young thespians enjoyed themselves – and even the supporting cast was engaged in their puns and witticisms as they came up with something completely new each evening!

Ikhona Koeberg moulded and shaped the character of Zekiah as the story developed. His execution of this sometimes vulnerable, sometimes comedic protagonist was remarkable, and the passion with which he fought and danced and loved and sang his way through the story made for many a ‘goosebump’ moment!

“Go the Distance” was a celebration of colour, dance and song! Janet Kingwill’s beautiful set design was the perfect backdrop to carefully crafted 1950’s costumes, many sewn by Colleen Ekermans who devoted hours of work and love behind the scenes. Remarkably choreographed scenes included the miners’ dance which celebrated the beautiful voices of the senior boys, as they performed an earth shattering gumboot dance led by the powerful voice of Jason Beaumont. The bus stop scene, led in rousing song by Zintle Maki, involved professional lighting effects that symbolized the dawn, with nostalgic photographs that transported the viewer into Sophiatown of old. The Wedding party was a riotous celebration of song and exuberance and absolute joy as the entire cast danced their way through ‘Mama Themba’s wedding.’ Zekiah’s final fight scene, professionally commentated by Cameron Muir and Amanda Brink as Bob and Janey, was a display of clever showmanship and lighting effects as he ‘went the distance’, surviving 15 rounds of ‘freeze frame’ choreography that was perfectly and timeously executed by the entire cast.

The calibre singing and acting was outstanding this year, with Bavuyise Hermans, Tracy-Lee Abels and Kay Koeberg taking on difficult solos with aplomb. Ashwon Dawids had the audience in stitches as the local gang leader, Shakes – throwing in a bit of ‘Graaffrikaans’ for good measure too! Gym owner, Sam was convincingly performed by Olwethu Ngcai, while Taylyn Miller played the giggly, permanently positive Nancy. Rebecca Langmead took on the role of Gloria – the cynical, bossy shebeen queen who ruled the ‘Crazy Moon’ with an iron fist!

In her speech of gratitude to Avrille Putter after the final curtain call, Rebecca Langmead described her as ‘ineffable’ – meaning ‘too great or extreme to be described in words’. She said that the cast had arrived as amateurs and left as accomplished actors. That they had arrived as a cast, and left as a family.

‘Go the Distance’ is an example of a group of truly unified youngsters having a great deal of fun along with a copious amount of talent! Union High School can be congratulated on a sublime production that fills one with admiration and hope for the youth of our colourful nation!

 

View the photographs on our Facebook page
Photographs courtesey of Wendy Venter

JUNIOR TENNIS

Union High wishes to congratulate Kwande Mhlabeni for his selection to represent the Eastern Cape Under 15 Tennis Team at the National Primary Schools Inter-Provincial Tournament to be held in Pretoria from the 27th of April to the 1st of May.

Kwande is an extremely dedicated and hard-working tennis player, and is currently ranked No. 6 in the Eastern Province. We wish him well at National Week, where he will be competing against the top tennis players in South Africa. Well done, Kwande, you make Union proud!

Here seen with Mr Carl Bezuidenhout (Head of Sport), Mr Floris Steenkamp (Junior Sports Administrator and Mrs Yvette Cloete (Head of Junior Department)

CHESS – OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT

Fourteen of Union’s chess players played in an open Swiss chess tournament in Middelburg on Monday. This tournament also served as the second round of trials to select a team to represent the Chris Hani Chess District at the Chess SA championships in Johannesburg in December this year.

In the U/18 section Liano Naidoo won all five his matches and is ranked as the Nr 1 u/18 player in our district. James Rose-Innes is ranked as the Nr 2 player in the U/16 section. Rachael Houseman is ranked 3rd in the U/14 section with Amahle Finca in 4th position on the log.This is a phenomenal achievement. We congratulate our chess players and look forward to the closed tournament in August where it will be determined who of our players will represent the district and our school at National level. 

SPORT RESULTS – SATURDAY, 21 APRIL

UHS VS VICTORIA PARK (AWAY – PORT-ELIZABETH)
Rugby
1st XV:  40 – 22
In our away fixture against Victoria Park High School on Saturday, the First Rugby Team won their encounter 40 – 22. We showed good ability to keep possession and the linking play between backs and forwards was again an effective part of our arsenal. Our try scorers were Matthew Broeksma, Terrance Siyaya, Olwethu Ngcai, Gary Shell and Breyton Damons (2). Matt Harpur converted five of the six tries. Man of the match was undoubtedly openside flank Michael Krige. He carried the ball with tremendous power and his work rate on defence was unrivalled. He is often an unsung hero but, in this game, he certainly made his presence felt. Both wings, Breyton and Olwethu, also made many positive contributions. Their pace and finishing skills left the opposition grasping at thin air. All fifteen players fulfilled their role effectively to allow the team to implement what was planned and pull off a satisfying victory.2nd Team:  57 – 5
U/16: 21 – 23
U/15:  7 – 29
U/14:  21 – 24

Hockey
1st Team: 7 – 0
On Saturday Union High’s 1st hockey team played against Victoria Park at the Nelson Mandela University Astro. The girls played against a well-coached side, but once again produced another near flawless performance. The Union girls are really playing an exciting brand of hockey, which makes it easy on the eye to watch, and they won the match 7-0. Yente Retief must once again be commended for putting on a master performance with class and grace.Goal were scored by Rebecca Langmead (3), Micela Loock (2), Candice Russel (1) and Henze Jaftha (1)2nd Team:  5 – 0
U/16A:  7 – 0
U/16B vs VP U/14A:  0 – 2JUNIOR HOCKEY VS VOLKSKOOL
1st Junior Team
Taking into consideration that this term is a little light on fixtures for Union, Junior Sports Administrator, Mr Steenkamp, took the unprecedented initiative to organise some friendly practice matches for the junior teams against Volkskool. It was a wonderful afternoon with all of the players enjoying the stress-free competition against our traditional rivals and great sportsmanship was shown throughout. The games were played in good spirit and it was a fantastic opportunity for all teams to try out some new combinations.

Despite having dominated play for most of the game, the 1st junior team drew 1 – 1 through a goal by Sonwabiso Mroro. They spent much of the match on attack, but were unfortunate not to be able to convert some of the opportunities they had into goals. It was, however, very exciting to see the girls starting to successfully implement some of the set pieces learned in practice. Keep up the good work girls!

2nd Junior Team
The 2nd Juniors racked up a deserving win of 3-0 against their opponents. While a lot of the play was still a little unstructured, it was wonderful to see that the girls are starting to understand their positional play a little better and by the end of the game they were stringing together some impressive moves as a unit. Special mention must go to Charlize Vorster who has shown a remarkable improvement from last year and carried the ball beautifully on attack throughout the game. Well done to the girls on an excellent result! Goal scorers were Charlize Vorster, Aamninah Steele and Lisakhanye Menos.

SALISBURY EXCHANGE

Union High’s four Salisbury Exchange students left for the United Kingdom on Friday and received a lovely welcome from their hosts at Heathrow Airport on Saturday morning. experience Gemma, Anna, Brent and Jude!


SPORT RESULTS – SATURDAY, 14 APRIL

SENIOR RUGBY VS MUIR COLLEGE (AWAY – UITENHAGE)
1st XV:  36 – 15
We travelled to Uitenhage on Saturday to face our oldest rivals Muir College. In what is always a challenging encounter, we emerged as 21-point victors. The first half was a ding-dong battle and the lead changed several times throughout. On the stroke of half-time, we scored what will undoubtedly be a contender for try of the season. The move started with a counter-attack from deep inside our territory and saw us keeping the ball alive through brilliant support and clever interplay between backs and forwards. This meant we went into the break 26-15 ahead. We utilised a favourable wind in the second half and scored a further ten unanswered points to win the match 36-15.Our tries were scored by Cowan Swartz, Breyton Damons, Jason Beaumont and Matt Harpur (2). Matt also kicked four conversions and a penalty, ending on a total of 21 points in the match.
Backline player of the match was awarded to Cowan Swartz who was exceptional on counter-attack and created opportunities each time he joined the line from fullback.  Forward of the match went to the hard-working Iviwe Ndamane. He was outstanding on defence and played a crucial, yet unnoticed, role on attack.To beat Muir on their field is always a pleasing result and credit should go to the team for fighting through the difficult stages where things didn’t go to plan. We showed maturity and a desire to win which are huge positives. The team want to express their thanks to the rest of the rugby sides for the phenomenal support. If the cheering was a battle, we would have won that too.Other results:
2nd Team:  26 – 26
3rd Team:  41 – 10
U/16A:  56 – 17
U/15A:  6 – 50
U/15B:  25 – 19
U/14A:  10 – 22
U/13 A:  7 – 52
U/11A:  10 – 21SENIOR HOCKEY VS VICTORIA GILRS (AWAY – GRAHAMSTOWN)
In the words of Mr Geowynne Gamiet, Head of Union High Hockey: ‘Normally when making a match report we would just talk about the 1st team’s game. However, this time I would like to extend my congratulations to all the hockey coaches, managers and players for what was probably the best weekend for Union hockey I’ve experienced in the 6 years that I’ve been at Union High. Not only their performance on the field, but also the impeccable behaviour and the camaraderie that the Union girls displayed right from the 1st game of the day until the very end. Well done, Union Hockey. May this continue for the rest of the season.’

During the 1st team match against Victoria Girls’ High School the Union girls once again showed their class from the very start and scored 2 goals in the first 5 minutes They continued to dominate, played attractive hockey and cruised to an 8-2 win. Goals were scored by Jenna McNaughton (3), Henze Jaftha (3), Candice Russell (1) and Rebecca Langmead (1).
1st Team:  8 – 2
2nd Team:  8 – 0
U/16 A:  4 – 1
U/16 B:  2 – 0
3rd Team:  2 – 0

JUNIOR RUGBY
 Clarendon Rugby Festival
Last Thursday, an eager group of U/11 Union rugby players travelled to Port Elizabeth to take part in the annual Clarendon Rugby Festival. Over the course of two days the boys played in three matches.
The under 11s got off to a slow start in the first match vs Westering, losing 24-0. On Friday they started to gain some momentum as they narrowly lost 15 – 10 to a very strong Herbert Hurd side.

In their very exciting final match, which was seen by festival directors as the match of the festival, they beat Summerwood 12-7.

JUNIOR HOCKEY

During the Easter holidays, Leah Marais was selected to play in an invitation side at the Elsie Coetzer Hockey Tournament (ECHS) which took place from the 5th to the 9th of April in Bloemfontein. 95 hockey teams from all over South Africa participated.

It was a gruelling tournament, which consisted of coaching – as early as 7 o’clock in the morning, and one to two matches being played every day, at times only finishing at 10 o’clock in the evening.

During this festival, a panel of two professional Dutch selectors were scouting for players to partake in an invitation team to tour Germany and the Netherlands in September 2018.

Union High is very proud to announce that Leah Marais was selected for this touring team and we congratulate her on this wonderful achievement.

SENIOR HOCKEY AND RUGBY FESTIVAL

For the 31st consecutive year, Union High had the privilege to host their Annual Senior Rugby and Hockey Festival, and once again it was a tremendous success, with teams from across the country taking part in the festival. We would like to quote the main sponsor of the festival, Caltex’s Mr Clive Berlyn from his speech to the visiting coaches: ’As a company, we adopted from the start a firm approach that our involvement in projects and/or events will be guided by whether it provides the right platform to nurture and create the leadership potential that resides within our young people. We strongly believe that sport and education provides us with just such platforms. You are the leaders of tomorrow and what you learn on the playing fields will prepare you for the world that awaits when you leave school.”

With 600 learners and 95 coaches attending, we had hostels bursting at the seams, but the hard-working staff of Arthur Kingwill House and Herby Arnott House made it work and as always Union was complimented for its great hospitality. We wish to take this opportunity to thank our hostel staff for all those extra hours and their contribution to the success of the festival. The same goes to Mr Kingwill and his team of ground-staff for ensuring that our facilities were always in impeccable condition.

Thank you to our rugby and hockey moms and dads for feeding the coaches, sponsors, staff, medics, media team and referees at the Union. As always, the food was of the highest quality (and quantity). Thank you also to Mr Crankshaw and his team of Old Unionites for their contribution.

A festival of this magnitude cannot be hosted without its sponsors. To our main sponsors for festival – Caltex, College Motors, Hyundai, Pick ‘n Pay, SupaQuick and Spur – we appreciate the ongoing support from your businesses. We are looking forward to many more years of working together.

Congratulations to the coaches on their teams’ performances over festival. You and the teams made us proud on and off the field!

Festival Rugby Report
In their first fixture on Thursday, Union played against Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyer. In what was more mud wrestling than rugby, the Union boys managed to grind out a two-point victory. The game hung in the balance for the full 70 minutes with neither team giving an inch. The heavy rain resulted in it being a hard fought battle of attrition, where field position and minimising errors were the order of the day. Union scored two tries through Luthando Skapu and Iviwe Ndamane, both players showing exceptional skill to cross the whitewash. Matt Harpur converted both tries, which proved to be the difference at the final whistle. It was a satisfying 14 – 12 win for Union against a side that had convincingly beaten them the year before.

In the final match of the festival on Saturday, the Union boys took on Hoërskool Grens from East London. Fortunately, the weather was conducive to running rugby and Union was able to play a more expansive pattern which was pleasing to the spectators. Union were again forced to work extremely hard against quality opposition. Both teams scored an unconverted try in the first half and kicked a penalty goal to make it 8-8 at the half-time break. The Union team started the second half brilliantly, spreading the ball from point to point, forcing their opponents to make numerous tackles and cover loads of ground on defence. Union executed the plan to perfection and eventually ran in a further two tries as the Grens defenders seemed to tire somewhat. The boys were solid on defence and capitalised on their opportunities on attack to win the game 25 – 8. Union’s tries were scored by Cowan Swartz, Ikhona Koeberg and Luke McNaughton. Matt Harpur converted two tries and two penalties.

Day 1 Rugby Results
Winterberg Agricultural High School vs Hoërskool Andrew Rabie:  17 – 10
Paarl Gimnasium Daisies vs Linkside High School:  83 – 3
Grey High Unicorns vs Hoërskool Grens 2de Span:  42 – 5
Hoër Volkskool vs Westering High School:  14 – 19
Gill College vs Camps Bay High School:  48 – 0
Stirling High School vs Ithembilihle High Schoo:  34 – 10
Hoërskool Stellenbosch vs Hoërskool Grens:  12 – 12
Cambridge High School vs Pearson High School:  5 – 18
Union High School vs Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr:  14 – 12

No rugby on Day 2

Day 3 Rugby Results
Paarl Gimnasium Daisies vs Hoërskool Grens 2de Span:  63 – 0
Grey High Unicorns vs Camps Bay High School:  38 – 15
Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr vs Ithembelihle High School:  48 – 14
Cambridge High School vs Hoërskool Stellenbosch:  36 – 26
Pearson High School vs Stirling High School:  27 – 15
Winterberg Agricultural High School vs Westering High School:  13 – 41
Gill College vs Hoërskool Andrew Rabie:  24 – 19
Hoër Volkskool vs Linkside High School:  48 – 7
Union High School vs Hoërskool Grens:  25 – 8

Festival Hockey Report
Union’s 1st hockey team came into the festival with a lot of pressure hanging over the heads due to the below par performances so far this season. Their first match took place against Framesby, with the girls being extremely nervous. They couldn’t convert the opportunities that they had went down 1 – 0, but thanks to a spectacular goal by Micela Loock, the score was even at 1 all going into the break The Union girls finished the match on 4 – 1, with Jenna McNaughton scoring a hat-trick and Micela Loock scoring one goal.

Union played their second match against Paarl Gimnasium in heavy raining conditions, which made the Astro Turf slow. The Union girls dominated the game from the beginning to the end, but could only score one goal (by Rebecca Langmead), which enabled them to win 1 – 0.

The 3rd and much awaited game against the toughest opponents at the festival, Kingsridge High School, took place on day 2 of the festival. The Union girls were well prepared for the match and excelled in the 1st half with a well-rounded team goal from Micela Loock, and Rebecca Langmead scoring the second goal. Kingsridge piled on the pressure during the second half, but the Union girls held on for a 2-0 victory.

During Union’s 4th match, against Settlers High School, the Union players’ class in play and movement off the ball dominated the opposition. Settlers did not have any ball possession, but their defence made it difficult for Union to score. However, the Union girls broke through and managed to score two goals thanks to Jenna McNaughton and Rebecca Langmead. With Settlers not having much possession of the ball and Union being in the opposition territory most of the game, Union withdrew the goalkeeper to add more attackers to their field. Unfortunately they then conceded a goal, but soon rectified the decision by scoring another goal by Rebecca Langmead to win the game 3 – 1.

The 5th and final game saw Union get their X-Factor back to completely overwhelm Cambridge High with the game controlled by the classy centre back, Yente Retief, to win the game 6 – 0. Goals were scored by Micela Loock (2),Henze Jaftha (2), Jenna McNaughton and Rebecca Langmead.

Hockey statistics for the festival:
Played 5 won 5
Goals for: 15
Goals against: 2
Goal Scorers:  Jenna McNaughton (5), Rebecca Langmead (5), Micela Loock (4) and Henze Jaftha (2)

Day 1 Hockey results
Stirling High School vs Hoër Volkskool:  2 – 0
Paarl Gimnasium Invitational vs Kingsridge High School:  1 – 0
Westering High School vs Victoria Girls High:  3 – 0
Union High School vs Hoërskool Framesby:  4 – 1
Gill College 1 vs Linkside High School:  1 – 0
Cambridge High School vs Settlers High School:  0 – 3
Hoërskool Nico Malan vs Hoërskool Grens:  4 – 0
Gill College vs Kingsridge High School:  0 – 6
Victoria Girls High School vs Hoërskool Framesby:  1 – 2
Cambridge High School vs Hoërskool Nico Malan:  2 – 4
Union High School Invitational vs Linkside High School:  1 – 0
Stirling High School vs Settlers High School:  1 – 1
Union High School vs Paarl Gimnasium Inv:  1 – 0
Hoërskool Grens vs Westering High School:  0 – 5

Day 2 Hockey results
Cambridge High School vs Hoërskool Framesby:  2 – 0
Union High School Inv vs Nico Malan:  0 – 5
Stirling High School vs Gill College:  5 – 2
Kingsridge High School vs Settlers High School:  3 – 0
Paarl Gimnasium Inv vs Hoër Volkskool:  0 – 0
Victoria Girls High vs Hoërskool Grens:  3 – 1
Westering High School vs Gill College:  5 – 1
Cambridge High School vs Linkside High School:  3 – 0
Victoria Girls High School vs Hoërskool Nico Malan:  1 – 0
Paarl Gimnasium Inv vs Stirling High School:  0 – 1
Hoër Volkskool vs Linkside High School:  3 – 0
Hoërskool Grens vs Hoërskool Framesby:  0 – 1
Union High School vs Kingsridge High School:  2 – 0
Settlers High School vs Westering High School:  0 – 0

Day 3 Hockey results
Union High School vs Settlers High School:  3 – 1
Linkside High School vs Hoërskool Nico Malan:  0 – 5
Hoër Volkskool vs Hoërskool Grens:  5 – 1
Stirling High School vs Hoërskool Framesby:  1 – 0
Paarl Gimnasium Invitational vs Westering High School:  3 – 0
Victoria Girls High School vs Union High School Invitational:  2 – 1
Union High School vs Cambridge High School:  6 – 0
Hoër Volkskool vs Kingsridge High School:  1 – 4
Union High School Invitational vs Gill College:  0 – 0

 

BIATHLON – SA CHAMPIONSHIP

On the 31st of March, two of our athletes travelled to Pretoria to represent Eastern Province in the South African Biathlon Championships. We are very proud of Candice Russel and Cameron Muir who both performed well at the event and surpassed the 2000 point benchmark. Candice placed 15th out of a field of 25 and scored an impressive 2114 points, while Cameron managed 12th spot in a field of 24, scoring 2065 points. These results are especially commendable when you consider that these placements reflect their positions in the entire country. Well done to you both!
Results
Cameron Muir
Run time : 6:34:69
Run points : 982
Swim time : 1:12:72
Swim points : 1083
Total points : 2065
Position : 12/24 Candice Russell
Run time : 3:32:41
Run points : 1063
Swim time : 1:20:92
Swim points : 1051
Total points : 2114
Position : 15/25

ECO-WISE CHAMPS OF UHS

UHS celebrates their Eco statue twice a year by having Eco-Wise Days. On Tuesday 27 March, we ended the first term enjoying various eco activities. Each class or grade decides on an eco-activity. For an hour and a half, from 11:00 to 12:30 the school is a bustle with joyful and worthwhile projects.

This term the projects on campus included: Learning about the problem of plastic in our oceans, learning more about our indigenous trees , picking up litter, the cleaning up of graffiti, making a recycled ball and playing duster hockey and there was a presentation on Inner Purity for the Grade 11. There were several off-campus activities too: Angel Park in the centre of town was cleaned up by a group of learners, another group of learners visited Huis van der Graaff and as they walked, they picked up litter in the streets and they gave gifts of Easter eggs to the residents, a different group of learners picked up litter at and around our Union Preparatory School and the grade 10s spent valuable time playing fun games with the young children from our Pre-School.
The grounds team also joined in with the spirit of the day as they offloaded the two new Jo-Jo water tanks which they will install on campus. These are sealed units and are fitted with filters, enabling clear rain water to be captured for drinking purposes. Thank you to all Eco Reps and staff for making this Eco-Wise Day worthwhile.

 

 

Bulletin

Bulletin – March

SALISBURY EXCHANGE

On Monday evening, Union High School hosted a dinner in the Tony Burrell Union to celebrate the connection between the School and the Salisbury Cathedral School in the United Kingdom. For 27 years, Union’s Grade 7 learners have been going to Salisbury as exchange students for a term, followed by the Salisbury learners spending a term in South Africa. Quite a few of these learners then go on to do a Gap Year at Salisbury after completing their matric year.

Monday’s event was attended by all of the exchange students from 2013 to date, as well as their parents. After Mr Pringle welcomed all the guests, Mr Bruce Maree, one of the founder members of the Exchange Programme, gave a short history, and amused the audience with a few tales of events that have happened over the years.

Thanks to Mrs Bronwen Langmead, the learners and parents were entertained with a collage of memories of their time in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Each learner was also presented with an Exchange Student badge, which they will wear for the duration of their years at Union High.
The Salisbury Exchange Programme is such an important part of Union life, and this event was a great celebration of the connection between the two schools.

TOP LEVEL CLUB – METEOROLOGY

On Tuesday evening, 20 March, nineteen Top levellers attended a presentation on Meteorology in The Union. Mrs Danelle Botes, a Meteorologist holding a Masters’ degree in this field and currently studying towards PGCE qualification, introduced the group of learners to the possibilities that a career in Meteorology holds.

After enlightening learners on the difference between Climatology and Meteorology, she explained the field of study, referring to the development and ingredients of thunderstorms and predictions to the path of these phenomena. She also explained a supercell thunderstorm, electrification of clouds and how lightning occurs. She explained the principles of Remote Sensing of these storms and the impact of being able to predict the path of a storm, on Insurance companies.
The evening concluded in a Question and Answer session. It was enjoyed by all.

POSTER COMPETITION

On Friday, 23 March, Goldrush Graaff-Reinet, in partnership with Algoa FM, hosted a live outside broadcast aimed at promoting tourism in Graaff-Reinet and surrounding areas. Grade 11 learners from local schools were invited to enter a poster/banner competition. Chevonne Prinsloo, a grade 11 Tourism learner at Union High School won this competition with her lovely Camdeboo poster. Well done Chevonne!!
On photo: Chevonne Prinsloo with KayCee Rossouw from Algoa FM.

UNION GETS GOLD ECO AWARD

On Friday, 23 March, Ms Jenny Street, co-ordinator of the Eco-Club at Union High School, and Grade 11 learner Jemimah Mangunda, travelled to King William’s Town to receive the school’s International award, based on the schools efforts in 2017. 2018 is Union’s 5th year as partners of WESSA Eco-Schools and ‘School Grounds’ is the new theme for this year.

The school maintains its previous projects and also chooses a new project from each of its previous themes: Resources – Reducing the school’s annual electricity bill, Healthy Living – Revamping the Primary boys’ bathroom and Biodiversity.


SPORT RESULTS, 23 – 25 MARCH

GRAEME COLLEGE RUGBY DAY (Grahamstown)
The First team travelled to Grahamstown over the weekend to comptete against Cambridge in the Greame College Rugby Day. Cambridge scored an early try against the run of play after a poor kick chase from us. We were able to hit back right away with a try of our own by Matteo Mahona. He scored after a superbly executed set piece move by the backline which saw Breyton Damons cutting the opposition defence like a hot blade through butter. Breyton ran fifty meters before being dragged down one meter short and popping the ball to Matteo who ran the perfect support line like all open side flanks should. Soon after this try, we again pulled off a set piece move to allow Breyton to walk over untouched in the corner. Matt Harpur converted both tries and a penalty to give us a 17-7 lead at the break.
Cambridge did all the attacking in the second half as we struggled to hold onto possession. We needed to show huge character on defence. Some gutsy tackling and an immense work rate allowed us to withstand wave after wave of Cambridge offense. They did eventually cross over for a converted try but it was too little too late, with us emerging 17-14 victors.
Forward of the match goes to Matthew Broeksma who again led from the front. His effort from the base of the scrum was extraordinary and as always had a massive presence on defence.
Backline player of the match goes to Ronan Retief, who was colossal in stopping opposition momentum. He made arguably the biggest hit of the day and a few more which had the crowd clenching their teeth at the impact.
The win will certainly boost our confidence ahead of two tough fixtures on Thursday and Saturday of the festival.

GREG BELING HOCKEY TOURNAMENT (East Londen)
Union High’s 1st hockey team travelled to East London this weekend to participate in the very competitive Greg Beling Festival. With a new team in action and due to poor execution, the results were not as pleasing as expected.

Friday, 23 March
UHS vs QGHS: 1 – 0
UHS vs Oranje: 0 – 4
Saturday, 24 March
UHS vs Clarendon: 0 – 3
UHS vs Hudson Park: 1 – 1
Sunday, 25 March
UHS vs Stirling: 0 – 3

SPORTS RESULTS – 17 MARCH

Rugby vs St Andrews (Bloemfontein)
1st XI
The 1st XV had a very disappointing outing to Bloemfontein over the weekend. After a good start, the Union boys took and early 7 – 3 lead, when Breyton Damons crossed over for a concerted try in the 10th minute. Matt Harpur scored midway through the second half, and Union found themselves 12 – 9 ahead, with 15 minutes to play. Despite scoring two tries to St Andrews’ one, penalties proved to be the difference, and St Andrews eventually won the match 19 – 12.  It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the Union boys have learnt valuable lessons, which will no doubt drive them to improve and get back to winning ways.
Other Results:
2nd Team:  36 – 7
U/14:  17 – 10
U/15:  12 – 27
U/16:  19 -12

Hockey vs DSG
1st XI
On Saturday Union’s 1st hockey side played their first hockey match of the season. The match lived up to its hype and was an energy sapping match. After 5 minutes one could feel that one mistake would be the deciding factor in the outcome of the match. Union defended for most of the 1st half, as they did not stick to the game plan at all and gave a lot of the ball possession away with double turnovers, which hampered their attacking ability. Unfortunately, as they were struggling to settle into the game, they made a defensive error, which resulted in them conceding a very soft goal. The second half was a completely different game, as the Union girls dominated the ball, and their fitness, as well as their concentration was superior.
Union struggled to break through DSG’s defence, so they withdrew their goal keeper, who had an exceptional game, to go on an all-out attack with one extra player. This resulted in Union receiving a penalty corner at the end of the game, which they failed to convert. Union lost the game 0-1. Many lessons were learnt this past weekend as the Union girls look to rectify their mistakes for the all-important Greg Beling Festival in East London this weekend.
Other results
2nd Team:  2-1
U16B lost 0 – 6
3rd Team lost 0 – 5
U16A lost 1 – 2

1st Junior Team vs DSG u/13A:  0 – 1
2nd Junior Team vs DSG Under 13B:  1 – 0
 
TOP 8 Gala
A group of 9 Union High swimmers participated in the Top 8 Invitational Gala on Saturday, 17 March, which pits the top swimmers of schools in the province against each other. Union High won 11 medals in total and the swimmers were well-rewarded for all their hard work during the season.
Congratulations to the following swimmers on their medal wins:

Photograph left to right:
Jason Wright – Silver 100m Breastroke and Silver 50m Breastroke
Ben Kroon – Silver 50m Backstroke, Bronze 100m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke and Bronze 50m Butterfly
Jenna Harvey – Gold 50m Butterfly and Gold 50m Backstroke
Hannah Bodenstein – Silver 50m Freestyle and Bronze 50m Backstroke
James Potgieter – Silver 50m Breaststroke

ECO CLUB VISITS KAROO CATCH

On Friday 16 March Union High’s Eco Club visited Karoo Catch to learn more about food security. What they learned at Karoo Catch really made sense to them. This Aqua Culture and Fish Processing business is unique to the Eastern Cape and will serve as the model flagship for more such enterprises.
At Karoo Catch the female fish (Clarias gariepinus) are artificially inseminated. The offspring are nurtured from birth to the fully grown stage, which takes approximately 6 months. This is a tough freshwater fish commonly found in the area. It is an excellent source of affordable protein. It does not have a traditional fish flavour which allows one to flavour the minced product. The group sampled their pork and lemon flavoured sausage which was delicious.
The farm plant has 5 breeding tunnels at present and re-uses the water after it has been through a filtration process. During the cleaning process, even the fish faeces is re-used as it is extracted and serves as excellent compost for their vegetable gardens. The farm plant boasts the use of solar panels combined with Municipal power. The fish do not ingest polluted products found mainly in our rivers and dams.
Presently this food security business provides employment for 106 permanent staff, most of whom also share in its profits. A large processing factory is in the planning stages and when completed this will create many more employment opportunities for the region. The Eco Club thanks Trudi Bezuidenhout and all the staff of Karoo Catch for the site visit and educating them about this sustainable protein food business. Thanks also go to Rosemary Scheepers from SANParks who drove and accompanied the group on this exciting outing.

SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY OFFICE BEARERS

We wish to congratulate the following SGB members on their election as Office Bearers for the new School Governing Body:
Chairman – David Langmead
Vice-Chairman – Kevin Watermeyer
Finance Chairperson – Wilmari Spence
SGB Secretary – Bronwen Langmead

INVITATION TO TOP 8 GALA

A full and exhausting season is culminating this week with the Top 8 Invitation Gala which is being held in Port Elizabeth on the 17th of March. Union is very proud to announce that seventeen of our swimmers have the honour of being invited to participate in this gala. Congratulations to the following swimmers:
Amber Binney
Hannah Bodenstein
Drew Dobinson
Jenna Harvey
Kendall Krige
Michael Krige
Ben Kroon
Cameron Muir
Tracy Petit
James Potgieter
Rachel Pringle
James Rose-Innes
Kelly-Page Scott
Chloe Shires
Jade Shires
Corniel Vorster
Jason Wright
Unfortunately many of our swimmers will be unable to participate in this event due to clashes with other sports fixtures on the calendar. We wish our swimmers the best of luck in this prestigious event.

2018 CAPTAINS

Union High is proud to announce Matthew Broeksma as their 1st XV rugby captain, and Rebecca Langmead as 1st team hockey captain for the 2018 winter season. Congratulations to both these young leaders who we are sure will lead their teams with pride and utmost respect for their responsibilities.


GRADE 9 INTERHOUSE SPEECH COMPETITION

The winners of the Grade 9 Speech Competition that was held last week are James Rose Innes (1st place) and Nina Boekkooi (2nd place), both from Arnott House. Impromptu speeches were also well delivered by Jarrod Naude and Max Wright.


JUNIOR TENNIS

Congratulations to Caytah-Leigh Koeberg for being selected to represent the Eastern Cape u/13 tennis team at the National Primary Schools Inter-Provincial tournament in Bloemfontein from the 27th of April 2018 to the 1st of May 2018.


UHS GIRLS EXCEL AT DANCE EXAMINATIONS

Six Union High learners did their Modern and Tap Dance examinations at the end of last year. The work done is from the Association of International Dance Teachers and the Union dancers obtaining great results. Each learner did different Grade Levels, starting from youngest to oldest, and note that as they get older, the work gets more challenging!

They achieved the following marks in their examination:
(front, left to right)  Leah Marais (Modern 93% & Tap 97%);  Lulibo Pietersen (Modern 93%);  Donne Marais (Modern 80%)
(back, left to right)  Kayla Bodenstein (Modern 83 %);  Carmen Beaumont (Modern 94% & Tap 93%);  Laeticia Theron (Modern 98%)

We commend these girls for their hard work at this out of school sport, which they do in their free time. Well done, girls, you do Union High proud.

 SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY ELECTIONS

We are pleased to announce that the following parents have been elected to serve on the School Governing Body over the next three years. We are grateful to all parents who stood for election.

Mr Kelvin Kayster
Mr David Langmead
Mrs Bronwen Langmead
Mrs Joan McNaughton
Mrs Lyn Rose-Innes
Mrs Wilmarie Spence
Mr Kevin Watermeyer

 SPORT RESULTS

RUGBY
The First Team took part in the Gill Rugby Day on Saturday and was matched against Hoerskool Andrew Rabie from Port Elizabeth. Being the first game of the season there was heaps of nervous excitement amongst the squad. The Union boys didn’t know much about our opponents which added to the uncertainty and tension. Once the game began, Union were quick to put Andrew Rabie under pressure and converted this pressure into points through a Matt Harpur penalty.
Andrew Rabie hit back with a penalty of their own after a careless error from Union in their own territory. This seemed to ignite the Union boys, and they started to find their rhythm, by keeping the ball through multiple phases and wearing down the opposition defence. Union dominated possession and were patient on attack which is a huge positive so early in the season. Union scored five unanswered tries through Luthando Skapu (2), Terrance Siyaya, Cowan Swartz and Iviwe Ndamane. It was an outstanding team effort with all the reserves getting valuable game time. Congratulations to Gary Shell, Ben Kroon, Breyton Damons and Luke McNaughton for earning their first start in the white jersey. Elijah Japhta, Damon Fouche, Cleathon Koeberg and Matteo Mahona all represented the 1st XV for the first time, when they came off the bench.
Forward of the match was Terrance Siyaya, who got through a ton of work and has added a new dimension to the way he plays. Back of the match was undoubtedly Luthando Skapu, who surprises opponents with his explosive power and physicality. His early try was an exceptional individual effort and set the standard for the remainder of the game.

Despite the 34-3 victory, there is still much room for improvement and this week will be filled with new challenges and hard work.

U/16A at Gill Day
Union’s Under 16 A rugby team played against Aeroville High School at Gill Day and won their
match 41 – 21.

U/14A at Grens Rugby Festival
The U/14A rugby team travelled to East London to participate in the Grens Rugby Festival. On the first day Union played against Stirling and unfortunately the boys were very rusty to start off. Basic mistakes saw Stirling winning the match 27 – 47. Union’s try scorers were Sisipho Arnols (2), Siya Badiwe and Likhona Finca. Hlaki Skepe kicked three conversions
On day 2 the Union boys faced Port Rex and won the match 43 – 15. Try scorers were Siya Badiwe (2), Likhona Finca (2), Olwethu Ngwenya, Ruzhe Hendricks, JJ Liebenberg. Hlaki Skepe once again kicked 4 conversions.
Olwethu Ngwenya was awarded man of the match!

U/13A at Grens Rugby Festival
The Under 13A team also travelled to East London to participate in the annual Grens Rugby Festival.
The u/13’s first match was against Nahoon, who proved to be formidable opponents. The game got off to a slow start, but Union soon gained momentum and scored early in the second half. They then kept Nahoon under pressure to score another two tries. This was a great team effort and the game ended with Union winning 17-0. The man of the match award went to Laythan Carelse.
The Second match was a very tough encounter against Lilyfontein, who brought a very physical side to the festival. Lilyfontein scored a try in the first two minutes. The Union boys fought bravely to stay in the game, but in the end Lilyfontein won 5-0.

HOCKEY
This past weekend the Union 1st Team Hockey took part in the Season Opening Festival which serves as a part of the 1st round of trials. All games were friendly matches. Union used this as a great way to fine tune their game plans for the season against Eastern Province’s finest hockey schools.
vs Collegiate:  0 – 2
vs Kingswood:  0 – 0
vs Alexander Road:  2  -1
vs Woodridge College 2 – 1
vs DSG:  0 – 0
We must compliment the girls on the manner in which they played. They received numerous accolades regarding the tempo they play, and the speed with which they played their games, and are looking forward to a great season.

The 2nd hockey team also participated at Gill Day, beating Templeton High School 5 – 0 in the first match, and losing to Gill’s 1st team 0 – 1.

TREE TAGS – UHS CENTENARY PROJECT

As part of the much-anticipated Union High Centenary celebrations (1919 – 2019) the School is embarking on an Eco-Schools Project where all the indigenous trees on the School campus will be labelled with tree tags.

The tags, which were produced by the company www.treetags.co.za will be affixed to the trunks of the trees by the schools Eco Club under the guidance of educators Ms Jenny Street and Mr Pringle. The standard tags are anodised aluminium tree tags, size 50x100mm and contain interesting information about the trees including the national tree number, the botanical name, the English, Afrikaans and either isiXhosa or isiZulu name and the school’s centenary logo.

The School’s centenary logo is displayed on each tag, as the naming/tagging of the trees is part of the celebrations. The trees are as follows: Camdeboo (White) Stinkwood Celtis Africana, Yellowwood Podocarpus falcatus, Cape Ash Ekebergia capensis, Coral Tree Erythrina caffra, Cabbage Tree C. paniculata subsp. sinuate, Weeping Boer Bean Schotia brachypetala, Wild Olive Olea europea sbs. Africana, Fever Tree Vachellia xanthophloea (Acacia), Jacaranda Jacaranda mimosifolia.

Only one exotic tree, the Jacaranda, a naturalised alien which is well-represented on the school campus, will be tagged. The Jacaranda comes from the north-west of Argentina and arrived in South Africa in about 1880.

The tags, which are made of anodised aluminium, will be screwed to the host tree in such a manner that the screws will provide room for future growth.

It is hoped that this project will inspire a custodianship of our natural resources in the learners and that they will come to see the trees as natural treasures. The school is committed to planting indigenous trees, particularly the Camdeboo (White) Stinkwood Celtis Africana, which is usually planted during Arbor Week in September. Many of these trees have been planted in the school grounds where they will provide shade and beauty for generations to come. It is said that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, but the next best time is today. The school hopes that its future alumni will go out into the world as environmental warriors who will plant trees wherever they may go.

SENIOR TENNIS

Union High’s top 8 boys’ and girls’ tennis teams competed in the Fichardt Park McDonalds tournament in Bloemfontein today.

The boys’ top 4 finished 3rd in their section and the second 4 won the B tournament. Congratulations must go to Matthew Hesselink, Peter Watermeyer, Ryan Hobson and Brett Amsterdam on this fine achievement.

The top 4 girls finished 3rd and the 2nd team, 6th overall.

Well done to our tennis teams! 

SENIOR ATHLETICS – SARAH BAARTMAN MEETING

In February, nine Union High athletes represented the Karoo Team at the Sarah Baartman Athletics Meeting held at The Oval in Port Elizabeth. Between sunshine and rain, each athlete gave his or her best and we congratulate the following learners on their medals received:
Erin Mitchell received a bronze medal for high jump, Rosslyn Sparks a silver medal for discus and Marche Green received a silver medal for high jump. Gold medals were awarded to Candice Russell for high jump and Sanja du Plessis for 800m.

Congratulations to Marché Green (u/17 Girls High Jump) and Sanja du Plessis (u/19 Girls 800 m) on their selection to the Sarah Baartman Team, to attend the Eastern Cape Secondary Schools Athletics Championships at Nelson Mandela University, this week.

CAPTION : Erin Mitchell, Sanja du Plessis, Rosslyn Sparks and Marche Green.

HOCKEY TRAINING CAMP

On Friday, 2 March, the Union 1st Hockey Team hosted a training camp for Union Preparatory and Junior School hockey players. This was an opportunity for the 1st team girls to pass on their knowledge of the game to these young future hockey stars who admire the stick work and skills of the older girls. The girls did a splendid job coaching a total of 95 youngsters throughout the day.
This was a great way to begin a busy season for the 1st team. We would like to congratulate the 1st team girls on a job well done and for offering up their time to coach the future. They did a splendid job and the day was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

HERALD CYCLE TOUR

Congratulations to Kyle-Luke du Preez for taking part in the Herald Cycle Tour in Port Elizabeth last weekend. Kyle-Luke participated in the Under 17 age group and completed the 55km distance for his group.


KAROO INTERSCHOOLS GALA

As we draw to the end of another incredibly demanding swimming season, it was so rewarding to see our Union swimmers reap the benefits of all their hours in the pool. A full sports programme has left many of our athletes physically and mentally depleted, yet they managed to dig deep for yet another spectacular performance. In an event that hosted hundreds of children from schools all over the Karoo, our Primary division placed third overall, while our senior boys placed second overall and our senior girls clinched the first position.

We thank all the swimmers for participating with such determination, and are especially grateful to those learners who had to shake the cobwebs out of their swimsuits and be called out of “retirement” to fill lanes wherever necessary. It is this kind of selfless team-work that puts our school on the podiums. Well done to you all! Congratulations to the following swimmers who did very well to be placed in the top 3 overall in their age groups:
Chloe Erasmus and Jade Shires – 1st overall
Finn Cilliers and Hannah Bodenstein – 2nd overall.
Emma Short, Matthew Paxton, Corniel Vorster, Kendall Krige and Megan Doyle – 3rd overall.
The team that has been selected to swim in the Karoo Team on the 12 of March will be announced soon.

SENIOR SWIMMING:  B-AGE GROUP GALA

A group of 24 Union swimmers, from U/13 to Open, participated in the final B-Age Group Gala in Port Elizabeth in February. It was the biggest team entry we’ve had this season, and the first B-Age Group gala for some of the swimmers.

There were 550 entrants from all schools at this gala, making it the biggest of the season. Our swimmers are hoping to be invited to the Top 8 Gala in a few weeks’ time, which will be the finale of the swimming season.

This was the second gala of the week for the swimmers and they all did very well, swimming personal best times or very close to their best times. Our swimmers have put in hours of training and many competed in three galas in two weeks. We await the names of those invited to the Top 8 Gala.

Congratulations to the following swimmers on their results:
Boys Open: Cameron Muir – 1st place 100m Backstroke, Ben Kroon – 2st place 50m and 100m Backstroke, Michael Krige – 3rd place 50m Freestyle
Girls Open: Jenna Harvey – 2nd place 100m Backstroke, 3rd place 50m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly
Boys 14 years: James Potgieter – 3rd place 50m Breaststroke
Girls 13 years: Hanna Bodenstein – 2nd place 50m Freestyle and 3rd place 50m Backstroke

JUNIOR SWIMMING:  C-AGE GROUP GALA

Last weekend saw nine of our Union junior swimmers head off to Port Elizabeth to participate in a C-Age Group Gala. With the drought having closed one of the venues, our swimmers faced a long day at the poolside to compete with schools from all over the Eastern Cape.

Congratulations to the following swimmers who did very well to place in the top 5 positions in their age group:
Daniel Marais – 4th in 25m backstroke, 4th in 25m freestyle and 5th in 25m breaststroke
Caytah-Leigh Koeberg – 3rd in 25m backstroke, 5th in 25m freestyle and 5th in 25m breaststroke
Max Price – 4th in 25m breaststroke and 5th in 25m freestyle

Bulletin

Bulletin – February

UNION SCHOOLS’S CENTENARY ROSE

The Union Schools Rose embodies the spirit of our beautiful school. Reflecting Union’s colours of green and gold, it is a neat, hardy, tough little bloom that flourishes in the Karoo – very much like our Union learners and educators who work together for the good of the whole.

click here to order

SENIOR CRICKET – 1ST TEAM SPONSORS

At the end of a successful cricket season, Union High’s 1st XI cricket team thank Mr Paul van der Merwe and Mr Peter Waddelow for the generous sponsorships from Mica Graaff-Reinet and Pick ‘n Pay. Their contributions have afforded the Union High School a wonderful opportunity in sport – to host the 13th Annual Mica Cricket Festival, as well as kitting out the 1st Cricket Team with beautiful cricket outfits. We thank Mr van der Merwe and Mr Waddelow most sincerely for supporting Union High cricket. We take pride in our association with these companies.

JUNIOR CRICKET

U/13 A  vs Frans Conradie (40 overs)
We won the toss and elected to bat. We got off to a decent start at 25/1 after 11 overs. Peter Michaels batted patiently, a middle order collapse resulted in us losing 6 wickets for just 8 runs. Dylan Kivedo joined Sam Reeve at the crease and the pair put on 34 for the 8th wicket. Sam was a shining light throughout the innings, scoring a superb 46 not out off just 47 deliveries. We were bowled out for 104 in 28 overs.  They reached our score in the 34th over without losing another wicket. The pick of the bowlers was Cameron Swarts who claimed 2 wickets for 16 runs in 6 overs. Laythan Carelse took the other wicket and Dylan Kivedo executed a run out. We lost the match by 6 wickets.

INTERSCHOOLS GALA VS VOLKSKOOL

Union hosted the 2018 Interschools Gala at the Hoër Volkskool pool on Tuesday. Although we were represented well in all age groups, Union swam against incredibly strong competition at this year’s Interschools gala, especially in the senior age groups. Our swimmers made Union proud by truly giving their all, many of them competing in every event they could to ensure points for Union. Our Juniorr section lost by roughly 100 points, while our seniors lost by a margin of just over 40 points.

While the loss is disappointing, we would like to thank the swimmers for their participation and determination, and congratulate them on their good behavior throughout the event. Thank you to Hoër Volkskool for allowing us to host this event in their wonderful facilities; and, of course, to all the staff and pupils who gave up their time to officiate at the event. 

SENIOR TENNIS

On Monday (19 February) our top 6 boys and girls travelled to Cradock to play a league match against Cradock High School.

It was a very close encounter for the girls, who managed to win their match with 42 games to 38. The four girls, Kelly Rose-Innes, Jenna McNaughton, Jeanne-Marie Brummer and Christine Harris were too strong for their opponents in their singles matches.

The boys also played very well, but lost 7 matches to 2 against a very strong Cradock team.

BIATHLON – EP TEAM

The final event in the biathlon season is the SA Biathlon Championships. This year it is to be held in Pretoria at the end of March.  The number of Union biathletes has grown during this last season. Each Union biathlete has improved on their personal times, where they must achieve on the track (long distance 1000m / 2000m) as well as in the swimming pool (100m).
Congratulations to the following on their selection to the EP Team to attend SA Championships:
Girls U/15: Kendal Krige
Boys U/15: Corniel Vorster (Reserve)
Girls U/17: Micela Loock (Reserve);  Jenna McNaughton (Reserve)
Both Micela and Jenna have been included in the Senior Ladies Team
Girls U/19: Candice Russel
Boys U/19: Cameron Muir

BIATHLON – EP CHAMPIONSHIPS

Nine of our Union Biathletes were invited to participate in the event and certainly did Union proud.
Congratulations to the following medal winners (left to right):
U/19 Boys
Cameron Muir – Gold
U/17 Girls
Micela Loock – Silver
Jenna McNaughton – Bronze
U/19 Girls
Candice Russell – Silver

Individual results

Run time Score Swim time Score Total
Drew Dobinson (U/13) 3:56,74 972 1:34,53 935 1907
Kendall Krige (U/15) 4:05,89 891 1:25,09 1000 1891
Corniel Vorster (U/15) 5:09,87 1001 1:26,32 957 1958
Micela Loocke (U/17) 3:41,76 1011 1:28,62 964 1975
Jenna McNaughton (U/17) 3:46,61 997 1:30,72 943 1940
Candice Russel (U/19) 3:34,34 1053 1:23,18 1029 2082
Cameron Muir (U/19) 6:25,87 1026 1:10,41 1106 2132
VC Beldon 7:49,95 606 1:30,53 905 1511
Ben Kroon 8:55,72 277 1:16,00 1050 1327


JUNIOR CRICKET

U/13 A vs Nico Brummer
The U/13 A’s travelled to Beaufort West on Wednesday to play in a T20 match against Nico Brummer. We lost the toss and were asked to bowl first. At 33/2 after 10 overs, it seemed like we would restrict the opposition to under 100 runs. However, after the drinks break, we lost control of the game and Nico Brummer ended on 102/4 after 20 overs.
Our batsmen failed to occupy the crease and pressure kept shifting from one player to the next. No batsman reached double-figures which meant we were never in with a chance of reaching our target. We were bowled out for 56, losing the match by 46 runs.

GRADE 8 SPEECH COMPETITION

The Grade 8 Interhouse Speech Competition took place last week. Speakers were very well prepared and delivered interesting speeches. The audience also got the opportunity to take part in informal speaking and assessing.

Ekaterina Duvenhage (left) finished in 2nd place and Amber Binney (right) was the overall winner.

House points were awarded: Daly 9 and Arnott 8.

Congratulations to all the participants and a very big thank you to Matthew Light and Kelly Rose-Innes for their assistance on the evening.

We look forward to the Grade 9 speeches in a week’s time.

UHS & HVS PREFECT SOCIAL

On Monday evening the prefects of Union High and Volkskool enjoyed a lovely social evening in the Tony Burrell Union getting to know each other. After having dinner together, the Volkskool prefects even offered some sokkie lessons!


ECO CLUB REPRESENTATIVES

At Friday’s assembly Union High thanked the eco-representatives for their selfless service to the school, and they all received their eco representative badges. The school is very proud of having achieved Eco International status in 2017, and will be working towards Platinum status in 2018.

Eco Representatives 2018
 
Back (left to right): Hannah Bodenstein, Kirsten King, Tracy Petitt, Chevonne Prinsloo, Lunga Zantsi, Edward Whitlock, Iviwe Ndamane, Katherine Imrie, Buntu Sota, Josh Calitz and Elijah Japhta
2nd from back (left to right): Ryan Jenneke, Somila Batala, Bavuyise Hermans, Grace Merrifield,
Matthew Basson, Sayma Wajid, Sulungeka Sibeku, Jemimah Mangunda, Caitrin Spence and
Shazia Ahmed
2nd row (left to right): Asa Matross, Finn Cilliers, Daniel Nell, Sisipho Arnols, Ann-Noleen Koeberg, Liyema Sonjani, Alistair Imrie, Jenna Harvey, Cadee Arends, Shayna Japhta
Front (left to right): Erin Gedult, Megan Nortje, Na’eem Mohamed, Zeraida Deysel,
Caytah-Leigh Koeberg
The 2018 Eco-Club Committee

Back (left to right): Mrs Gedult, Chevonne Prinsloo, Lunga Zantsi, Iviwe Ndumane, Buntu Sota and Jemimah Manguado
Front (left to right): Rosemary Scheepers (SANParks), Mrs Nell, Mrs Schoeman, Mr Pringle (Headmaster), Ms Street (Eco-Club Co-Ordinator and Mrs Harpur (PR and Marketing)

SENIOR CRICKET

1st Team vs Otto du Plessis (T20)
On Friday night Union played a T20 match without their matric players against Otto du Plessis’ 1st XI. Union won the toss and elected to bat. The Union boys started off well, but lost untimely wickets. Union struggled to score freely and ended ons 107 after 20 overs.

When they went in to bat Otto du Plessis was chasing a low score, and Union could not afford to give away any extras. They missed some opportunities in the field that costed Union the match. Hopefully this young side could learn from this match.  Otto du Plessis passed the score 19.4 overs with 3 wickets in hand.

1st Team vs Daniel Pienaar (Declaration)
On Saturday, in a declaration match against Daniel Pienaar, Union won the toss and elected to bat. The Union boys made full use of their overs and almost succeeded, but got bowled out in the 65th over with a score of 182. Cowan Swartz scored 50 runs and Brett Amsterdam 42.

Daniel Pienaar went in to bat and once again the Union bowling attack was on form. The wicket takers were Matt Harpur 3, Sinethemba Ndudula 3, Terrence Siyaya 2 and Cowan Swartz 2.

Union won by 88 runs

U/15 Team vs Cradock (T20)
Union won the toss and elected to bat. Sisipho Arnols and Kyle-Luke du Preez got the innings off to a solid start with a good 30 run partnership. However, the Union boys kept losing wickets at regular intervals and did not take advantage of the starts they got. In the end Union managed to score 91 in their allotted 20 overs, with Kyle-Luke du Preez and Hlaki Skepe both scoring 17 each, James Pienaar 16 and Josh Calitz 11.

Cradock then proceeded to bat and proved to be resilient. They made our bowlers work hard. Coupled with a few missed chances, the Union team made life very difficult for themselves. Eventually the Union boys managed to beat Cradock by 10 runs. The pick of the bowlers were James Pienaar with 2 wickets for 15 runs in 4 overs and Josh Calitz with 1 for 14 in 4 overs.

U/15 Team vs Otto du Plessis (T20)
Otto du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat. A good all-round disciplined bowling and fielding effort allowed Union to restrict Otto du Plessis to only 87 runs in their allotted overs.
The pick of the bowlers were Kwande Mhlabeni, who took 2 wickets for only 9 runs in 4 overs, and Ruzhe Hendricks with 2 for 19 in 4 overs.

Union came in to bat and despite good innings’ from MJ Newton (14) and Matthew Basson (21), the boys could never quite put together a meaningful partnership, resulting in them being bowled out for 59; losing the match by 28 runs.

U/15 Team vs Daniel Pienaar (50 overs)
Daniel Pienaar won the toss and sent Union in to bat first.
Despite losing a very quick wicket, Kyle-Luke du Preez (33) and James Pienaar (28) managed to show fantastic application, and put on an outstanding 72 run partnership. Hlaki Skepe also contributed a good 18 runs. This gave Union a wonderful platform on which to build, on what looked to be a terrific total. However, once this partnership was broken, the Union boys never seemed to be able to recover and were bowled out for 165 runs.

Daniel Pienaar came in to bat and were met with some inconsistent bowling from the Union boys. Despite taking 3 critical wickets, Union continued to leak too many runs and struggled to find any rhythm and consistency. Daniel Pienaar continued to capitalise on Union’s poor bowling, coupled with missed chances at critical stages. This allowed Daniel Pienaar to reach the Union total with 7 wickets down, winning the match with 3 wickets. Well done to Hlaki Skepe, who took 3 wickets for 14 runs in 5 overs.
A disappointing result in the end. However, despite being unable to be accurate in their execution, the Union boys showed tremendous fight, never giving up, and played the game with great team spirit – always encouraging each other, even during the toughest of moments. They can be proud of the manner in which they played.

SUNDAYS RIVER MILE

A scorching day in Colchester greeted the 16 Union High Swimmers who made the trip to compete in the 94th annual Sundays River Mile.

The girls were first to race in conditions that were not ideal. The tide turned too late and was of no assistance to the swimmers this year. This, coupled with a slight head wind, made for tough going for the 210 ladies competing in the race. Despite this, our Union girls performed well.  Hannah Bodenstein was our first girl to cross the finish line in just under 35 minutes. She was closely followed by Amber Binney and then Kendall Krige. Ekaterina Duvenhage and Drew Dobinson also did well to finish in under 45 minutes.

As the start of the men’s race approached, the skies began to darken and a brewing storm closed in around the field of 267 swimmers. Our boys raced the storm to the finish line and managed to clock some good times in the process.  Cameron Muir was our first boy home in 30 minutes flat, with Michael Krige following closely behind. Corniel Vorster, Ben Kroon and James Potgieter finished in rapid succession, all within 5 minutes after Cameron.

It was wonderful to see Union High being so well represented at an event of this stature, and it was encouraging to note the eagerness with which all the first-timers competed. Well done to them all.

JUNIOR ATHLETICS – CMC ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIP


This past weekend Daniel Short and Matthew Paxton both took part in the prestigious CMC Athletics Championship held at The Oval in Port Elizabeth. Vigorous competition brought the best out of both athletes and they competed to the best of their abilities, Matthew came 5th in the Long Jump and Daniel won both the 100m and the 80m races.

CHESS

Junior Chess vs Kroonvale Primêr and Graaff-Reinet Primêr
Last Monday (12 February) Union High hosted a friendly chess tournament against Kroonvale Primêr and Graaff-Reinet Primêr. Both these schools only started playing chess last year and were nervous to play in their first tournament. Union’s players fared extremely well and managed to win most of the matches. After the tournament they all played friendly matches against the same opponent and shared some strategic moves. The opponents were very grateful for the Union learners’ willingness to part with their chess knowledge. It was a good afternoon of thinking, sharing and making new friends.

Senior chess vs Middelburg
Eleven of Union’s chess players from the Bishops League travelled to Middelburg to play againstMiddelburg High School. They each played 3 matches of 30 minutes per game, rotating players in each round. Having drawn the first two rounds, Union was determined to make their move against Middelburg in the last round. Our chess players stayed focussed and eventually managed to beat Middelburg High 20 points to 16, regardless of being one player short. This cost Union 3 points. An outstanding game was played by Liano Naidoo, who finished his match in less than 5 minutes.
Well done to Peter Watermeyer and Liano Naidoo who won all their matches.

SENIOR ATHLETICS – KAROO ATHLETICS MEETING

Fourty of Union High School’s athletes competed at the Karoo Athletics meeting, held on Tuesday, 13 February, at the Collie Koeberg Athletics Stadium. Our athletes all gave their best, despite the heat and lack of shade. The participants recorded the following summary of achievements: 10 Gold medals, 5 Silver Medals and 6 Bronze Medals.

The following learners received Golden Medals:
• Jenna McNaughton, 800 m in 2:50,29 min
• Marché Green, High Jump, 1.35 m
• Erin Mithcell, High Jump, 1,32 m
• Thando Haarmans, Long Jump, 6,18 m
• Ntsika Ngongoma, 400 m, 58,91 sec
• Liyema Mjoli, Shot Put, 9,12 m
• Rosslyn Sparks, Discus Throw, 23,75 m
• Sanja du Plessis, 800 m, 2:38,69 min
• Candice Russell, High Jump, 1,28 m
• Cameron Muir, 5 000 m, 20:04,56 min

The following ten learners qualified to represent the Karoo Athletics Team at the CACADU Mega District Meeting to be held at the PE Oval on Friday, 23 February:
• Erin Mithcell, High Jump, Girls u/15
• Ntisika Ngongoma, 400 m, Boys u/15
• Jenna McNaughton, 800 m, Girls u/17
• Marche Green, High Jump, Girls u/17
• Matthew Carelse, 400 m, Boys u/17
• Candice Russel, High Jump, Girls u/19
• Rosslyn Sparks, Discus, Girls u/19
• Cameron Muir, 5 000 m, Boys u/19
• Thando Haarmans, Long Jump, Boys u/19

Best of luck to all athletes competing on Friday!

ECO CLUB – SUSTAINABILITY

Union High’s Eco Club, which consists of over 30 members this term, visited two places in Graaff-Reinet on Friday 16 February, and learned that balance + social investment = sustainability. Bianca du Preez at Karoo inc. spoke to the group about the by-products of the hunting industry and the knock-on effect of job creation and skills transfer. She emphasized the importance of learning skills. The children understood the big picture and the economic values of the industry. The Eco-Warriors were excited to see all the beautiful articles made here in Graaff-Reinet at Karoo inc.

The group then visited Pick ‘n Pay and Cheryl Waddelow shared the vision and values of the Pick ‘n Pay group with these Eco Warriors. The learners were pleased to discover that UHS and Pick ‘n Pay share a common value: Respect. They were also surprised to hear that Pick ‘n Pay employed only unemployed people when they opened their store in Graaff-Reinet. These employees were then trained to work in various sections of the store: baking or butchery departments, merchandise, tellers, human resources, security and more. Waddelow also shared the big picture of this industry with the learners and “wowed” them with Pick ‘n Pay’s social investment responsibilities. The group learned that it is important to ‘give back’ to society and invest in a better, healthier environment. Before these Eco-Warriors toured the store and did their shopping, they enjoyed a doughnut, from this generous and successful business.
Union High thanks both Karoo inc, and Pick ‘n Pay for accommodating the learners and opening their eyes to the bigger picture of business and the sustainability thereof.

INTERHOUSE GALA

On Monday evening (12/02) our Interhouse Gala was held in perfect conditions. Competition between the two houses was keen throughout the evening. Arnott narrowly took the lead within the first few events, but soon both houses were tied on 179 points each. Daly fought hard and overtook Arnott, but within a short while Arnott took the lead again, right to the end. Arnott won by 5 points.

There were events for swimmers from U12 through to Open and it was wonderful to see so many swimmers participating. The open boys’ and girls’ events produced some exciting finishes which were lovely to watch. The 2018 matrics ended off the gala with a fun relay.

The final points position was: Daly – 418 | Arnott –  423

Well done to all the swimmers who participated, especially those who had to find their costumes at the bottom of their cupboards. We look forward to an exciting Interschools clash against Volkskool next week.

EPCD TENNIS REPRESENTATIVES

We congratulate the following tennis players who have been selected for the 2018 Eastern Province.
Country Districts tennis team:
U/12 Caytah-Leigh Koeberg & Matthew Paxton
U/14 Barbara McNaughton
U/16 Kyle-Luke du Preez
U/19 Micela Loock; Rebecca Langmead; Noä Cilliers
Reserves: Kelly Rose-Innes; Matt Harpur

They will represent EPCD on Tuesday, 27 February against Albany in Cradock.

EPCD TENNIS REPRESENTATIVES


We congratulate the following tennis players who have been selected for the 2018 Eastern Province Country Districts tennis team:

U/12 Matthew Paxton (left) & Caytah-Leigh Koeberg (right)


Left to right:Rebecca Langmead (U19), Barbara McNaughton (U14), Kelly Rose-Innes (Reserve), Noä Cilliers (U19), Kyle-Luke du Preez (U16), Micela Loock (U19) and Matt Harpur (Reserve)

They will represent EPCD on Tuesday, 27 February against Albany in Cradock.

BLOOD DRIVE – 13 FEBRUARY


Thank you to all our learners who donated blood today. Some were terrified….some were elated….some did not feel so well afterwards….and some needed a lot of moral support. But in the end you were all life-saving heroes!

EXCITING WEEKEND FOR EXCHANGE BOYS

Over the past weekend our Salisbury Exchange boys experienced the Addo National Park.

Max Firth and Sam Reeve on the zipline.
Max Firth’s first encounter with
an elephant.

ART CLUB


The Art Club met for the first time this year. They are going to do a series of exercises with acrylic washes on watercolour paper. Today they used a wet on wet technique with multiple layers, and had lots of fun shaking the paper for a dribble effect. Their inspiration for today was the artist Solly Smook!

UHS HONOURS GROUND-STAFF

At last Friday’s assembly, members of the Representative Council of Learners have set out to honour the ground-staff of our beautiful school. In her devotion, Taylyn Miller mentioned that the topic of ‘selflessness’ and ‘sacrifice’ is abundant in the Bible, and in order to lead a happy life, we must give our share in making the lives of others happy too. Union High’s ground-staff are fine examples of the type of people who we should aspire to be like – working with silent dedication, making our school beautiful beyond measure. They are the soldiers we hear about in the Bible.

Rebecca Langmead spoke about our beautiful school. We would not have a rugby team without a field to play on. We would not have a hockey team if the Astro was not regularly maintained. And learning would not be efficient if our classrooms were untidy.

Mr Kingwill, Oom Arnold, Oom Trevor, Oom Sakhi, Aunty Lillian, Aunty Elizabeth, Oom Dennis, Oom Neil, Oom Gavin, Oom Albern and Oom Melvin, we admire you! Mr Kingwill, you and your team are artists, you’re chauffers, you’re botanists, you’re woodworkers, you’re “doers” and you are inspirations. The title ‘ground-staff’ does not do you justice for all you truly are. We thank you for your selfless dedication to our school, and always just going about your work in your own quiet way!

Everybody is always talking about Union’s lush, green grass, our clean white walls…..but we hardly ever take the time to acknowledge the people who made it this way. Today we salute you, and may every learner take the time to learn your names and great you with the respect that you deserve!

Left to right:  Arnold du Plessis, Trevor Zali, Joseph Oormeyer, Lillian Williams, Elizabeth Sylvester, Dennis Kathu, Neil Meyer and Melvin Kutchu
Absent: Gavin Marlow, Albern Ceasar, Mr Donald Kingwill (Estate Manager)

CRICKET RESULTS

1st Team vs Graeme College
On Friday afternoon the 1st XI started a two-day 180-over match against traditional rivals Graeme College. Union won the toss and elected to bat, getting off to a pleasing start and were 45/0 after 13 overs. After Luke McNaughton was caught at point, Graeme applied pressure through accurate bowling and sharp fielding and the pressure led to three senseless run outs.

Union never recovered from the loss of unnecessary wickets, but a good effort by the lower order enabled the team to reach 128 runs. Graeme went in to bat and had 20 overs to the end of day one. The Union boys bowled well and at the end of the day Graeme were 35/1 after 19 overs. During the first session on day 2, Union bowled well and took another four wickets. At that stage the game was in balance with Graeme at 116/5 after 48 overs.

Unfortunately after drinks in the second session of the day’s play, Union lost focus. Graeme took full advantage and scored 127 runs in 24 overs. This would eventually take the game away from Union.

Graeme declared at 260/9 after 75 overs and had a lead of 122 runs. Union went in for their second innings, but only had 5 wickets to reach Graeme’s score and to set a target for Graeme to chase; or they had to bat out the day without losing 5 wickets. The Union boys batted well, but the Graeme bowling attack won the battle and Union lost 5 wickets for 70 runs. Union lost the game by an innings and 52 runs.

During the first innings the top batsmen were Luke McNaughton with 40, Sinethemba Ndudula 25 and Noa Cilliers 17 not out. Of the bowlers, Terrance Siyaya took 3 wickets, Cowan Swartz 2 and Matt Harpur 2. In the second innings, Matt Harpur top-scored with 25 runs, Luke McNaughton 16 and Cowan Swartz 14.

2nd Team vs Cradock 1st Team
Union won the toss and elected to bat first in humid, overcast conditions on a very wet outfield. Gregon Jenneke scored 36 runs, Sintu Nkosinkulu 16, Matthew Hesselink 15 and Kwezi Simon 11. Union made 148 all out in 39 overs. Cradock passed the Union score in the 35th over for the loss of 5 wickets. Man-of-the-match Gregon Jenneke took 2 wickets for 16 runs in 7 overs and Gary Shell took a great catch. Cradock won the match by 5 wickets.

Under 15s vs Graeme College 
On Friday afternoon the U15 team had an exciting T20 encounter with Graeme College, where the game came down to a nail-biting finish. Union won the toss and elected to bat. A fantastic 51-run opening partnership between Sisipho Arnols and Kyle-Luke du Preez got Union off to an ideal start – setting a platform for a solid score. James Pienaar also played a blistering innings and together with Kyle-Luke, put on a 55-run partnership. This took Union to a total of 106 for 1 in 20 overs. Kyle-Luke du Preez scored 36 not out, James Pienaar 27 and Sisipho Arnols 12.

When Graeme College came in to bat, the Union boys applied pressure from the start with good, accurate bowling and wickets fell at regular intervals. In the end, Graeme managed to get over the line in a nail-biting finish. Josh Calitz took 3 for 19 in 4 overs and Jarrod Naude, Hlaki Skepe and Kyle-Luke du Preez each took 2 wickets. Graeme College won the game by 1 wicket.

On Saturday (40 overs), Union won the toss and elected to bat. Sisipho Arnols and James Pienaar managed a very well-played 46-run partnership – capitalizing on any poor bowling. This was followed by another solid 37-run partnership between Jarrod Naude and Josh Calitz, which set up the innings for a fine finish, achieving a total of 157 for 8, with the help of the remaining batsmen. Sisipho Arnols top scored with 26 runs, Jarrod Naude 18, Josh Calitz 15 and James Pienaar 14.

The Union bowlers struck with two quick wickets by Josh Calitz and James Pienaar. Graeme managed a well-played partnership, but with the Union boys’ great fielding and fine bowling, the pressure took its toll on Graeme who were out for 128 runs. This performance was a great team effort, with good bowling, backed up by excellent fielding, which allowed Union to win by 29 runs. Kyle-Luke du Preez took a magnificent 5 for 34 in 6 overs, backed up by Jarrod Naude, who took 3 for 25 in 7 overs. Josh Calitz and James Pienaar took one wicket each.

This team once again showed amazing team spirit and determination, taking every available chance to ensure a convincing win.

U/13 Team vs Muir College
The U13s travelled to Uitenhage on Saturday to play against Muir College. Union lost the toss and were asked to bat. Muir’s bowlers were assisted by the overcast conditions and the Union boys struggled to cope with the swinging ball. Josh Chester was Union’s standout batsman with 18 runs. He applied himself brilliantly while wickets were falling at the other end. Dylan Kivedo with 9 runs and Cameron Swartz with 8 tried their best to support Josh, but in the end, Union were bowled out for 79.
Union’s bowlers started well and had Muir at 39 for 5 after 11 overs. Two missed opportunities ended up being the difference and Muir reached their target with 5 wickets in hand. Dylan Kivedo took 3 for 15, Laythan Carelse 1 for 14 and Sam Reeve 1 for 21. Muir won the match by 5 wickets.

ACADEMIC AWARDS

Congratulations to the following learners for receiving academic awards earlier this year. These awards are based on the final results of 2017.

ACADEMIC BARS
Grade 6 (Based on Grade 5 results of 2017)
Caytah-Leigh Koeberg
Na’eem Mahomed
Sadé May

Grade 7 (Based on Grade 6 results of 2017)
Lana Bouwer
Rachael Houseman
Tayla Kingwill
Jude Langmead
Brent Hesselink (Re-award)
Cadee Arends (Re-award)
Siphosethu Malotana (Re-award)
Gemma Naudé (Re-award)
Brigette Oelofsen (Re-award)
Anna Pringle (Re-award)
Jamie Rudlin (Re-award)
Caitrin Spence (Re-award)

Grade 8 (Based on Grade 7 results of 2017)
Amber Binney
Michelle Doyle
Jamie Jaftha
Kendall Krige
Barbara McNaughton
Chloe Shires
Matthew Basson (Re-award)
Hannah Bodenstein (Re-award)

ACADEMIC TIES
Grade 9 (Based on Grade 8 results of 2017)
Catelyn Anthony
Marthinus van den Berg
Carmen Beaumont (Re-award)
Kyle-Luke du Preez (Re-award)
Shayna Japhta (Re-award)
Amzolele Relu (Re-award)
James Rose-Innes (Re-award)
Hannah Watermeyer (Re-award)

Grade 10 (Based on Grade 9 results of 2017)
Katherine Imrie
Erin Mitchell
Laetitia Theron
Deger Williams
Matthew Hesselink (Re-award)
Sara Kingwill (Re-award)
Bowen Langmead (Re-award)
Erin O’Halloran (Re-award)

HALF COLOURS/FULL COLOURS
Grade 11 (Based on Grade 10 results of 2017)
Full colours
Megan Doyle
Sanja Du Plessis
Ethan Gedult
Zintle Maki
Jenna McNaughton
Taylyn Miller
Yu-Pei Rong
Bridget Stander
Peter Watermeyer

Grade 12 (Based on Grade 11 results of 2017)
Half colours
Faith Macdonald
Ronan Potgieter
Uthimna Somi
Michael Krige (Re-award)

Full colours
Megan Meintjes
Amanda Brink (Re-award)
Rebecca Langmead (Re-award)
Kelly Rose-Innes (Re-award)
Kirsten van den Berg (Re-award)


Back (left to right): Hannah Watermeyer, Erin Mitchell, Peter Watermeyer, Amanda Brink, Yu-Pei Rong, Katherine Imrie, Bowen Langmead, Megan Doyle, Carmen Beaumont and Matthew Hesselink
2nd Row (left to right): Rebecca Langmead, Jenna McNaughton, Leatitia Theron, Jade Shires, Kendall Krige, James Rose-Innes, Kelly Rose-Innes, Bridget Stander, Taylyn Miller and Zintle Maki
3rd Rown (left to right): Gemma Naude, Rachel Houseman, Ethan Gedult, Kyle-Luke du Preez, Sanja du Plessis, Anna Pringle, Erin O’Halloran, Barbara McNaughton and Caitrin Spence
Front (left to right): Shayna Jaftha, Lana Bouwer, Jamie Jaftha, Siphosethu Malotana and Brigette Oelofsen

BLOOD DRIVE – PEER PROMOTERS

Congratulations to Union High’s Peer Promoters for 2018! We appreciate your selfless service.

Back: Peter Watermeyer, Cameron Muir, Yu-Pei Rong, Pholani Yayi and Kiah Hoffman
Front: Jenna Harvey and Rosslyn Sparks

Absent: Mtha Mzimba

SENIOR CRICKET VS GILL COLLEGE

1st Team
On Thursday afternoon (8 February), the Union 1st XI played in the National T20 tournament against Gill College.
Union won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening batsmen provided a good start to the innings as they maintained a steady run rate. It was a real team effort as all the batsmen contributed to a satisfying 231 for 6 in 20 overs. Luke McNaughton once again top-scored with 74 runs, Matt Harpur scored 36 and Sinethemba Ndudula 29.
In response, Gill could not maintain the run rate and lost wickets regularly. The pick of the Union bowlers was Ronan Retief (photograph), who took 4 wickets with his leg-breaks. Gill mustered 60 for 9 in 20 overs.
Union won the match by 171 runs.

Under 15s
The U15 XI recorded an emphatic win by 83 runs against Gill College in an outstanding display of well-executed cricketing skills.

Union won the toss and elected to bat. A great opening partnership between Sisipho Arnols and Kyle-Luke du Preez got Union off to a solid start. The boys then lost a few quick wickets, before MJ Newton scored 46 runs, to get Union to a total of 139. MJ Newton top-scored with 46 runs, Sisipho Arnols 15 and Kyle-Luke du Preez 14.

Some good, accurate fast-bowling from James Pienaar and Josh Calitz, who took three wickets between them, had Gill on the back-foot from the start. Once again a great spin-bowling display from Jarrod Naude and Kyle-Luke du Preez saw Union bowl Gill out for 56 runs. Kyle-Luke finished with figures of 4 for 16 in 4 overs, Jarrod 3 for 17 in 4 overs and Josh Calitz 2 for 6 in 3 overs.

Union won by 83 runs.  The Union boys are commended for the manner in which they played the game and can be very proud of their efforts in pulling off such a clinical win.

DR ARNOLD MOL:  2 FEBRUARY

On Friday last week, Union High School had the honour of hosting world-renowned motivational speaker, Dr Arnold Mol, where he presented three seminars – to the Matric class of 2018, the teaching staff, followed by one to the Union parents on Friday evening.

During the morning session, Dr Mol addressed the Union matrics on the topic of “The pursuit of status” – the difference between external and internal status, and how to focus on internal status. The success of external status will automatically happen when you live your life concentrating on your internal beliefs, morals and standards, and doing good to others. It was a very inspired and motivated group of young adults that left the seminar.

During the afternoon seminar, the teaching staff had the opportunity to listen to Dr Mol in a very interactive session on “How to motivate your learners in the classroom” – how motivating your learners is a two-fold task; firstly conveying knowledge and values, and secondly motivating your learners to study. Teachers were encouraged, instead of following a traditional theory of supervising homework and spoon-feeding learners with information, rather to apply the resource theory – helping learners to set their own goals, which puts the responsibility of learning on the learners themselves. One will always get evidence of what a learner is through what you believe them to be. Expect learners to THINK for themselves and start treating your learners like THEY CAN think. Let their schoolwork be a source of pride and let them experience success – at whatever level that may be. But at the end of the day – ENJOY YOUR TEACHING!
On Friday evening, parents were told the characteristics of a teenager – how they search for their own identity, struggling with poor self-image and striving for their independence, and that the main sources of conflict stems from parents still wanting to be in control and teenagers wanting to ‘prove’ that they are no longer children. Parents were advised to give their children unconditional love, unhurried time and “permission without approval”; how rules should always focus on the “consideration of others”, and to be hard on moral standards, but soft on people. Teenagers have the right to choose their own lifestyle and consequences will be at play (with sympathy). Encourage self-control in your teenagers with regard to schoolwork and finances and let them deal with the consequences of their own choices. Dr Mol raised some controversial ideas, which certainly left the parents with some food for thought, and that, at the end of the day, no parents can win a battle of wills with a teenager!
We thank all our matrics, teachers and especially our parents who took advantage of the opportunity to come and listen to this amazing man, who so wilfully shares his knowledge with people across the world. It was a wonderful evening full of laughs, sharing thoughts and ideas and camaraderie amongst our parents. And thank you, Dr Mol, for visiting our school, addressing us all and sharing your knowledge with us. It was an honour and a privilege to be in your company and we at Union High look forward to one day welcoming you back.

SENIOR CRICKET VS STIRLING

Friday evening the 1st XI and Under 15s played T20 matches against Stirling and on Saturday the 1st XI and Under 15s played 50-over matches, also against Stirling.

1st Team vs Stirling (T20)
In the T20 match on Friday night Union won the toss and elected to bat. The boys batted well and with a slow outfield and long boundaries the batsmen had to run hard between the wickets to score runs. Brett Amsterdam (38) and Luke McNaughton (27) got Union off to a good start and had another 50-run partnership. Cowan Swartz came in in the middle order and played an excellent innings, scoring 54 not out, to take Union to 132/4 after 20 overs.

Stirling went in to bat, and after a few inconsistent bowling overs, Matt Harpur and Cowan Swartz took two wickets each. Caerwyn Spence demolished Stirling’s middle order by taking 4 wickets. Stirling ended on 116 runs. Union won the match by 17 runs.

1st Team vs Stirling (50 overs)
Stirling won the toss and elected to bat. After a slow start, the experience of the Union bowlers came through and Cowan Swartz (5 wickets) and Matt Harpur (4 wickets) ripped through Stirling’s batting line-up. At that stage Stirling’s score was 67/7, but they batted another 20 overs in a 55-run 7th wicket partnership. Stirling scored 152/10.

Luke McNaughton (100) and Brett Amsterdam (27 not out) batted consistently for Union and took the game away from Stirling, with Luke leading the chase and Brett rotating the strike. Luke played his second brilliant innings in one week, scoring another game-changing century.

Union passed the Stirling score with only 3 wickets down, ending on 156/3. Union won the match by 7 wickets.

Congratulations to the Union 1st XI Captain, Matt Harpur, for playing his 50th cap for the 1st XI on Saturday.

Under 15s vs Stirling (T20)
On Friday night Union won the toss and elected to bat. After losing two quick wickets, Kyle-Luke du Preez and Jarrod Naude showed some resistance and put together a well-fought 30-run partnership against a very good and accurate fast-bowling attack. Jarrod showed great determination and application in his innings and finished on an unbeaten 28. The Union boys were bowled out for 73.

Stirling got off to a good start with some aggressive batting and reached 60 for 3 in 12 overs. Jarrod Naude then executed a fine display of accurate spin bowling, taking 4 wickets in one over, including a hat trick, and had Stirling on 69 for 7. However, this proved to be a little too late for the Union boys. Jarrod Naude finished with figures of 4 wickets for 9 runs in 4 overs and Josh Calitz with 2 for 14 in 3 overs.

Credit must go to the whole team for, despite being on the back foot for the majority of the match, showed exceptional fight and never gave up on their belief of winning the game. Union lost the match by 3 wickets.

Under 15s vs Stirling (50 overs)
On Saturday Union won the toss and elected to bat first in a 50-over match. After losing quick wickets again, Sisipho Arnolds showed great character and managed a well-played 20 runs before being dismissed. The rest of the batsmen battled to get a good start until Hlaki Mhlabeni managed to show some resistance and application to manage a well-played 15. Union were bowled out for 98 runs.

Stirling came in to bat and both Josh Calitz and James Pienaar each took quick wickets and had Stirling on the back foot. However, some good, aggressive batting got Stirling to 56 for 3 after 10 overs. Once again Jarrod Naude showed an exceptional display of accurate and clever spin bowling, backed up by a similar effort by Kyle-Luke du Preez, by taking a combined 7 wickets and bowled Stirling out for 69 runs.

Jarrod Naude finished with bowling figures of 5 wickets for 7 runs in 3 overs, Kyle-Luke du Preez 2 for 2 in 2 overs and James Pienaar took 2 wickets for 16 runs in 6 overs. Union won the match by 29 runs.

Once again the team showed an outstanding display of team spirit and determination – never giving up despite the circumstances of the match. They kept fighting and believing in their abilities, which got them over the line in the end. Each one of the Union boys can be very proud of his efforts and the manner in which he played the two matches over the weekend.

Special mention must be made of Jarrod Naude, who took a total of 9 wickets for only 16 runs in the two matches.

JUNIOR CRICKET VS HERBERT HURD

Under 13s
On Saturday, the U13A team travelled to Port Elizabeth to play against Herbert Hurd in a 40-over match. Union lost the toss and was asked to bowl first. Herbert Hurd batted very well and reached a total of 228 for 8 in their 40 overs. The best bowlers were Laythan Carelse, who took 3 wickets for 37 runs, and Jaden Swart, who took 3 for 43. Salisbury Exchange Student, Max Firth, claimed his first wicket on South African soil.

A lack of practice was evident in the Union batting performance, and the boys were bowled out for 110 runs. Sam Reeve top-scored with 18 runs and Cameron Swartz played well for his 14. Union lost the match by 118 runs.

Under 11’s
Union’s Under 11 cricket team also travelled to Herbert Hurd for a 40-over match. The conditions were perfect and Union won the toss and elected to bat first. It was their first match of the season and the boys were a bit rusty. The Union boys were all out for 67 runs.

Herbert Hurd then went in to bat and slowly chipped away at the Union total. There was a glimmer of hope when the opening partnership was broken by the bowling of Kyle Liebenberg, but it was too little too late as they chased down the Union score with 9 wickets in hand. Union lost the match by 9 wickets.

BIATHLON – INTER-PROVINCIAL

Seven of Union High’s biathletes were selected to represent Eastern Province in the Inter-Provincial Championships held in Oudtshoorn over the weekend
(3 February). Six of these athletes participated in the event which hosted over 500 children from around the country. The pace was blistering throughout and we are very proud to say that almost every one of our learners managed to improve on their previous personal best times. These learners represented Union exceedingly well and it was exciting to see them all giving their best and performing so wonderfully. Well done to all of them!
Their individual results were as follows:

Run time Score Swim time Score Total Position
overall
Drew Dobinson (U/13) 3:55:75 977 1:32:87 952 1929 23/42
Kendall Krige (U/15)  4:00:49 918 1:21:71 1073 1951 19/23
Micela Loocke (U/17) 3:34:53 1047 1:25:69 994 2041 17/29
Jenna McNaughton (U/17) 3:34:02 1050 1:28:64 964 2014 20/29
Candice Russel (U/19) 3:40:37 1023 1:24:15 1019 2042 9/12
Cameron Muir (U/19) 6:47:69 917 1:12:74 1098 2000 7/14

C AGE GROUP GALA

This weekend (3 February) saw a number of our Prep School and Junior School swimmers heading off to Port Elizabeth to compete in a C Age Group gala held at Victoria Park Grey. For many of them, it was their first gala outing at this level and all competed admirably. It is lovely to see Union being so well represented at these events.

Of these swimmers, Caytah-Leigh Koeberg (photograph) deserves special mention as she did very well to place 2nd in the 25m backstroke, 4th in the 25m butterfly and 25m breaststroke; and 6th in the 25m freestyle in her age group. 


SENIOR CRICKET VS HVS

1st Team
On Thursday afternoon, Union High School played Hoër Volkskool in the Nasional Pro 20 tournament at Botanics.

Union won the toss and elected to bat. Union started very steadily and kept the scoreboard ticking – batting at 5 runs an over in the first 6 overs. The opening partnership was 85 runs. Luke McNaughton picked up the run rate with some brilliant batting and he carried the innings, with the rest of the batsmen rotating the strike and giving Luke strike. It was an all-round great batting performance, with Luke leading, and ending on an excellent 131 runs – a truly outstanding performance especially in a Pro 20.
Union ended up on 198/4 after 20 overs.

Volkskool went in to bat and went up against a very experienced opening bowling attack. Sinethemba Ndudula and Cowan Swartz set the standard in taking two quick wickets. All the bowlers bowled very well, and one cannot single out any one bowler, but we want to congratulate Caerwyn Spence and Peter Watermeyer for taking the first wickets for the first team. Volkskool was bowled out for 42 runs

The batsmen that contributed to the total score were Luke McNaughton 131, Matt Harput 20 and Terrence Siyaya 15.

The best bowlers were Cowen Swartz, Caerwyn Spence and Peter Watermeyer, having taken 2 wickets each. Matt Harpur and Sinethemba Ndudula took 1 wicket each.

Union High won the game by 156 runs.

2nd Team
In this 20 over match, Union won the toss and elected to bat. Two good partnerships saw the Union boys to a score of 157 for 4. Zusakhe Ngwane made 36 runs, Kwezi Simon scored 33 not out and Gregon Jenneke 26.

Volkskool was bowled out in the 19th over for 54 runs. Kwezi Simon took 3 wickets for 7 runs, Lunga Zantsi 2 for 13 and Zusakhe Ngwana 3 wickets for 2 runs.

Union won the match by 103 runs.

Bulletin

Bulletin – January

JUNIOR INTERHOUSE ATHLETICS

This past week both the prep and middle school took part in the annual Junior Interhouse Athletics Day. The athletics meeting was held over two days with the track events taking place on the Monday and the field events on Thursday. Both days were full of enthusiastic competition and everyone had the opportunity to partake in any one of the many events. Mass participation was at the heart of this Interhouse meeting, however, there are a few names that needs special mention.

The following middle school athletes contributed immensely to their respected houses:
Farronique Booysen, Sade May, Amahle Finca , Sisipho De Vos, Leyton Carelse, Alutha Wesi, Dylan Kivedo, Shaakir Kazi, Chloe Erasmus, Matthew Paxton and Lana Bouwer.

(Trophy winners will be announced at the Summer Sports Awards Assembly)

SENIOR INTERHOUSE ATHLETICS

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to run in the rain!”

On Monday, 22 January, all Arnott and Daly athletes participated in a wet and windy Interhouse Athletics Meeting.

Competition was fierce and there was an impressive display of strength, skill and speed…and some thrills and spills! It was great to see so many parents, who bravely muffled themselves against the wind and rain.

Everyone who participated in an event contributed to a fantastic spirit and earned house points – but at the end Arnott claimed the Interhouse Athletics Shield with 808 points vs Daly’s 694 points.

Well done to everyone who competed!

(Trophy winners will be announced at the Summer Sports Awards Assembly)

 FOUNDERS’ WEEKEND

The Union High School celebrated its 99th birthday over Founders’ Weekend 26-27 January. The festivities began with the Founders’ Assembly on Friday morning, a joint celebration between the Preparatory School and High School, the only occasion during the year when the two schools get together.

On Founders’ Day the school pauses to recognise that parents, educators and learners before us, and the broader community, have given of themselves to build what we now enjoy.

Headboy, Cameron Muir, lighting a candle for the future of Union High at the Founders’ Day Assembly

The annual Old Unionite Association Annual General Meeting, chaired by Mr John Crankshaw, was also held.

Unfortunately the planned biathlon and colour splash was rained out on Friday afternoon.

A Steak Evening, hosted by the Old Unionite Association, was enjoyed by the entire community in the Tony Burrell Union. The atmosphere was one of good fellowship and camaraderie and was enjoyed by all as past pupils and parents all descend on the school and enjoy a weekend of festivity.

On Saturday, while the men were playing cricket, the moms and their daughters enjoyed a morning tea at Herby Arnott House. It was a beautiful occasion where fun was had by all.  

Very early on Saturday morning some mini-hockey and junior hockey matches were played between girls and moms (and a few dads), and the day concluded with a match between the 1st hockey squad against the Old Girls. Our girls played extremely well, scoring well-constructed goals, and defeated the Old Girls 6-3.

Six cricket games from U9 to 1st Team, between the boys and their fathers and past pupils, took place on the school fields and the Botanics Sportsgrounds. The day was filled with much laughter as this year the dads got the better of the junior boys, and some very competitive cricket was played between the senior boys and the Old Boys.

In the 1st Team match the Old Boys won the toss and elected to bat first. The Union boys bowled very well from the beginning, hitting good areas and putting pressure on the Old Boys. Excellent bowling from the whole team and a good effort in the field ensured that they restricted the old Boys to 162 for 10 in 40 overs.

The Union Boys went in to bat and looked good from the beginning against a very good bowling attack. Unfortunately Terrence Siyaya was run out early, but Trevor Moos stood his ground to keep out the bowlers. Matt Harpur and Brett Amsterdam both played a masterclass innings, showing patience and skill, but the both lost their wickets through the Old Boys’ experience. After that the school boys lost wickets at regular intervals and managed to score 121 runs. It was an excellent effort from the First Team. Union High lost the game by 41 runs.

In the 2nd Team match, the Old Boys batted first and were bowled out in the 29th over for 154. Lunga Zintsi took 3 wickets for 12 runs, Jayden Brotherton 2 for 8 and Noah Ackerman 2 for 6. For the Old Boys Ronald McNaughton scored 38 runs, Johnny Marais 31 and Jason Jacobs 19. The Union boys were bowled out for 79. Khwezi Simon scored 18 runs and Matthew Hesselink 10. Old Boy Johnny Marais took 2 wickets for 12 runs, Flippie Loock 2 for 15 and Mark Hudson 2 for 6. The Old Boys won by 75 runs.

Awards were handed to the girls and boys for their play on the day. James Pienaar received the award for the Best U15 Player and Lunga Zantsi for the Best 2nd team Player. The Most Valuable 1st Team Player award went to Brett Amsterdam and Matt Harpur received the awards for the Best Batsman and the Best Schoolboy Performance by a 1st XI Player. Micela Loock received the award for the Best Player of the Day, and Rebecca Langmead an award for the Best Goal.

Matt Harpur, Micela Loock, Brett Amsterdam, Lunga Zantsi  and Rebecca Langmead with their trophies.

Thank you to all the Old Girls, Old Boys, moms and dads for a fantastic day’s hockey and cricket.

After a whirlwind of activity, the participants and supporters were able to wind down with refreshments and snacks Union. It was a wonderful weekend of good, clean family fun enjoyed by everyone concerned. The school extends its sincerest appreciation to the Old Unionite Association Committee for their organisation and hard work over the weekend, and to all those parents, friends and supporters of the school who made the effort to be part of the activities.

OPENING OF PRE-SCHOOL

Union High School joined the Union Pre-School in celebrating the grand opening of its new facilities on Friday morning, January 26.

Sue Oliver, the pre-school’s principal, was joined by representatives from the Union Pre-School Governing Body, the Union High School Development Trust, parents and pupils for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The ceremony, which coincided with Union’s annual Founders’ Weekend, was opened by the school’s Governing Body chairperson, Jacqui Marais, who eloquently introduced the guest speakers and led the proceedings.

After a few words of welcome by principal Sue Olivier, pastor Dolan Cochrane said an opening prayer after which Derek Light, chairman of the Union High School Development Trust, addressed all those present.

Light expressed the Trust’s pride at having been involved in the realisation of this dream and thanked all those whose generous contributions and assistance made it a possibility.

One such contributor, the late Gysbert ‘Pinky’ Watermeyer, has been honoured with a bench dedicated to his memory on the school’s playground.

William Pringle, the headmaster of Union High School, then gave his address, after which the pre-school learners delivered an adorable rendition of the school song.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of gifts to the school’s stalwarts and the cutting of the ribbon by two of its pre-schoolers after which the keys to the school were gifted to its principal, Sue Olivier.


Celebratory cake and refreshments were then enjoyed by all those present. 

B AGE GROUP GALA

A group of 15 Union swimmers, from U12 to Open, participated in the 3rd B Age Group gala of the season, in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 27 January. The swimmers did well, with a few improving on the previous times. The swimmers are hoping to be invited to the Top 8 Gala in a few weeks’ time. It was great to see some of the junior swimmers participating in their 1st B-League gala. Union’s boys were placed 1st overall amongst the high schools, and the girls 3rd overall, based on points awarded. We hope to see many more swimmers participating in the next B Age Group gala.

Results
Boys Open
Ben Kroon: 1st in 50m Backstroke; 2nd in 50m Butterfly; 3rd in 50 Freestyle;
Michael Krige: 2nd in 50m Freestyle; 2nd in 100m Breaststroke
Jason Wright: 1st in 100m Breaststroke; 3rd in 50m Butterfly; 4th in 50m Breaststroke; 4th in 50m Freestyle

Boys 13 years
Corniel Vorster: 2nd in 50m Backstroke; 3rd in 50m Butterfly; 3rd in 100m Breaststroke

Girls 13 years
Kendall Krige: 2nd in 50m Breaststroke; 4th in 50m Freestyle
Hannah Bodenstein: 3rd in 50m Backstroke

EP BIATHLON

The EP Biathlon team to compete in an Inter Provincial Meeting in Oudtshoorn on Saturday 3 February 2018 has been announced. The team was selected from the results of all the EP League meetings since September 2017.

Congratulations to the following biathletes:
Cameron Muir:  EP A Team boys u/19
Candice Russell:  EP A Team girls u/19
Sanja du Plessis:  EP B Team girls u/19
Micela Loock:  EP B Team girls u/17
Jenna McNaughton:  EP B Team girls u/17
Kendall Krige:  EP Development Team girls u/15
Drew Dobinson:  EP Development Team girls u/13

UHS WELCOMES SALISBURY EXCHANGE STUDENTS

Union High School welcomes the learners from Salisbury Cathedral School who will be spending the first term of this year at Union. On their return to the United Kingdom, they will be joined by the four Union High Grade 7 learners who were selected to spend the second term at Salisbury. In the back is Lily Broilliard, who is hosted by Anna Pringle and Jemma Naude. In the front is Brent Hesselink, who is hosting
Sam Reeve, and Max Firth, who is hosted by Jude Langmead.

We wish these learners a wonderful time at Union, and hope they return to the United Kingdom having experienced the Karoo in all its glory.

GRADE 8 ORIENTATION

Much fun was had as Union High’s new grade 8’s spent Thursday hiking to the Camdeboo Environmental Centre where they were met by the 2018 prefects, who guided them through a series of teambuilding exercises! What an asset this beautiful centre is to our community! Thank you Rosemary Scheepers and their guides for all their help – they really had a ball!

The grades 8 had great fun sand-skiing, trying to fit 10 people into a 500mm diameter circle, with Cameron keeping the tower upright, untangling themselves from each other, being tied with two pieces of string, cheering under the Karoo night sky under the guidance of Ikhona and S’bo, and spending some time around the bonfire. After very little sleep, and a good breakfast, they hiked back into town.

Thank you also to our local Pick ‘n Pay for their generosity in feeding the masses.

A great, big thank you to David and Bronwyn Langmead, who once again organised this great adventure for our Grade 8s. This was such an uplifting experience for our learners.

Welcome to High School, Grade 8s!

We were surrounded by so much beauty!
Rebecca explaining an activity to the grade 8’s. The prefects aimed to instil the Union ethos of teamwork, faith, justice and respect for one another during this camp.
Our talented rap star Saphin, explaining the relevance of the activity that the prefects did with them…accompanied by an onomatopoeic Ntsika!
An incredible feat! Ikhona’s entire group thought laterally and balanced in a tiny circle!

‘What is impossible?’ Pairs were tied in infinite loops…and what seemed impossible and unreachable soon became otherwise. They learned that through thinking creatively, nothing is impossible!
Thank you Pick ‘n Pay for so many delicious treats! Bongi worked hard for his doughnut!
The evening drew to a close after a welcome thundershower…the seniors led the grade 8s in song and cheering and the hills rang with the singing of it!

ANNUAL TENNIS QUADRANGULAR

The Top 8 tennis girls and boys travelled to Grahamstown on Saturday to take part in the yearly quadrangular.

The girls did us proud by winning the tournament for the third consecutive year. All the girls played well under extremely windy conditions. Their final scores were:
UHS 9 – DSG 3
UHS 10 – Kingswood 2
UHS 12 – Victoria Girls 0

The boys finished 3rd in their group, with final scores:
UHS 1 – Graeme College 11
UHS 8 – Kingswood 4
UHS 2 – St Andrews 10

BIATHLON LEAGUE

On Saturday 20 January, 5 Union Biathletes entered into the last EP Biathlon league event for the season.

Drew Dobinson competed in her first meeting and did well to obtain the best result for Union – closest to the bench mark of 2000 points. Kendall Krige followed closely behind her. Ben Kroon and Corniel Vorster both swam a good race and Jason Wright competed in his first event, with a fine time in the swim.

For the rest of the events this season (season started in September 2017), the biathletes have to be invited to compete after qualifying during the season. We await those names.

HOSTEL HAPPINESS

THANK YOU TANNIE ANN

Our stalwart at every event!  When we walk into the Union on a Saturday morning, there is always a smell of freshly baked muffins and coffee hanging in the air. We appreciate your friendliness and hard work, and especially the service with a smile!

UHS CRICKET FESTIVAL

Union High School hosted their 12th Annual Mica Cricket Festival from 11-13 January 2018. Ten teams participated in the festival, including Glenwood (Durban), Stirling High, Grey High, Daniel Pienaar, Brandwag, Paarl Gimnasium, Paarl Boys, Milnerton and Marlow.

Union played Glenwood from Durban in a declaration match on the first day, and the boys always knew that they would tough competition.  Glenwood won the toss, elected to bat first and scored 237/10. Union went in to bat, but struggled with the bowling and lost wickets in constant intervals. The Union boys only managed to get 120/10. Union lost the game by 118 runs.  Cowan Swartz bowled very well and took a 5 wicket haul.

On the second day Union High played a 50 over match against Stirling. Union won the toss and elected to bat first. The batsmen applied themselves much better and they scored 217/8. Stirling went in to bat and batted well, but at the end of the day Union High was good enough to close the game and secure a victory.  Stirling made 208 all out – Union won the match by 9 runs.  Once again Cowan Swartz batted well and scored an unbeaten 58 not out.

On the final day of the festival, Union played a Pro 20 game against Milnerton from Cape Town. Union won the toss and elected to bat first. A fantastic opening partnership between Ronan Retief and Brett Amsterdam had Union at 134/0 after 15 overs. After Ronan got dismissed the run rate went down, but a steady innings from Brett made sure we could get to a very good total off 166/4 after 20 overs. Milnerton went into bat and the Union boys took early wickets. Milnerton reached a total of 139/8 and Union High won the game by 27 runs. Ronan Retief scored a blistering 83 and Brett Amsterdam and batted out 20 overs and scored an unbeaten 56 not out.

We wish to take this opportunity to thank our sponsor, Mica, for their contribution to the success of this tournament. As always, the cricket moms were also very hands on in preparing the food and hosting the cocktail party for our visiting coaches. Thank you for your constant support and willingness to host our visitors. And last, but not least, the Union school and hostel staff – without your commitment and hard work a festival such as this will never be possible.

Once again, Union High has hosted a very successful Senior Cricket Festival. We are grateful to the schools that have travelled so far, and for their coaches for giving up a part of their holiday time, to attend what is always a very important event on the Union High calendar. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2019!

SCOUTS HIKE UP NARDOU

Union High School members of the Graaff Reinet Scout Troop left for a 3-day 30 km hike up Nardou Mountain in support of Cameron Muir’s Springbok Scout badge.

Photo taken on top of Nardou.

UHS MATRIC RESULTS 2017

The Union High School Class of 2017 achieved a 100% pass rate in the National Senior Certificate Examinations. The Headmaster and staff are proud and humbled by the excellent performance of our learners. All 51 candidates passed successfully, achieving 34 Bachelor Passes (67%), 15 Diploma passes and 2 Higher Certificate passes.

Five candidates achieved A-aggregate passes. The top performer was Anje Oelofsen with 6 distinctions (in photo:  Mr Pringle, Mr Oelofsen, Mrs Oelofsen, Anje Oelofsen and Mrs Gedult), Amy Chaplin was placed second, with 7 subject distinctions, Kerrin Kingwill was placed third, with 6 subject distinctions, Gerrit Brink was placed fourth, with 6 subject distinctions and Timony Miller was placed fifth, with 4 subject distinctions.

In total, the class achieved 53 Subject Distinctions.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to these results. Hats off to our learners, parents, all educators and the community at large who played a part in the excellent performance of our learners.