Category: Cultural

Bulletin, Cultural

This past Thursday and Friday evening, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet‘s Primary Department (our talented Grade 5 to 7 learners) waddled into the spotlight to perform a delightful production of 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘵, the musical!

With toe-tapping tunes, our young performers brought the Antarctic to life – complete with dazzling dance moves, heartwarming harmonies and an inspiring message about being true to yourself.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Their ability to memorise lines, perform full musical numbers and embrace the spotlight is nothing short of exceptional!

𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.

Our junior choir and marimba band also deserved their moment in the sun (or should we say snow?) – their performances added rhythm, richness and a touch of magic to an already spectacular production.

𝗢𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲, 𝗻𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

A heartfelt thank you to Mrs Avrille Putter and Mrs Sanette Brink, as well as their dedicated team, for managing everything from sound and lights to curtains, tech and set design.

𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘦!

Next year, it’s the seniors’ turn to take the stage – and if this performance was anything to go by, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄!

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Bulletin, Cultural

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 to Union High School Grade 6 learner 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻 on an impressive set of piano exam results!

After completing her RSL Grade 2 Classical Piano exam at the end of Term 3 last year, she swiftly passed her RSL Grade 3 exam in just one short term and 7 weeks of Term 1, 2025.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻. During the long December holiday, she independently mastered her technical work, including scales and arpeggios, without formal lessons. Upon resuming lessons, music teacher Mrs Sanette Brink only needed to refine her interpretation and dynamics, leading to a polished performance that earned her an outstanding 91% Distinction

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘢’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 – 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦!

Bulletin, Cultural

On Saturday, 15 February, Union High School hosting the first round of the 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀.

This event has attracted 130 chess players, ranging from u/10 to Open categories, from across the district.

Among the competitors are 28 talented young Unionites who are ready to showcase their skills and represent their school.

𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴. 𝘎𝘰 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯!

Bulletin, Cultural

This evening’s 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗖𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 was a celebration of the spoken word with some extra spice thrown in due to the fact that for the first time in a while, Arnott and Daly were pitted against one another.

This year was also unusual in that the Head Prefects of Union and Arthur Kingwill House were invited to participate. With a wide range of topics to choose from, our Grade 11s and 12s spent the week writing and preparing their speeches – an admirable feat during such a very busy time.

𝘈𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘔𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘩, 𝘔𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘳𝘴 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘱 3 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗣𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗺𝗮’s poignant speech on ‘Choosing the Middle Seat’ had us all inspired and earned her third place. 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗮’s ‘last minute’ speech on Procrastination took a well-deserved second place with 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗲’s brilliantly executed speech on the Power of Storytelling earned him a standout first position.

Mr Langmead concluded the evening by sharing some valuable tips on speechmaking and all that was left was to announce 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘁𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝟰 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀.

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨!

Bulletin, Cultural

In an unforgettable evening of wit and House pride, Union High’s 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗭 night unfolded with all the exuberance one could hope for, proving once again that brains sometimes trump brawn.

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳’𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, it was Arnott that claimed the ultimate victory in a battle of knowledge, finishing with an impressive total of 107 points, leaving Daly trailing at 94.

The quiz, which took place in the school hall, featured lively teams from Grade 8 to 12.

𝗔𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 across various categories, including Arts, Literature, Entertainment and Sport.

Laughter permeated the hall as participants encountered quirky questions and amusing missteps. Contestants often found themselves in fits of giggles, especially when a particularly mischievous question stumped even the brightest minds. It was a delightful reminder that the spirit of the event was as much about fun and fellowship as it was about competition.

𝗔𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘁𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁, with members demonstrating impressive teamwork and diverse knowledge. Each correct answer was met with cheers from their supporters, while Daly’s fans rallied in spirited encouragement.

Congratulations to Arnott for their superb performance and to all the participants who made the night a fantastic celebration of knowledge.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘺’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 – 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴!

Bulletin, Cultural

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 to senior music student, 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 (Grade 12), who successfully passed her ABRSM Grade 7 Performance Practical Examination and achieved 72%!

𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗕𝗥𝗦𝗠 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. For the exam, Erin had to select and perform four pieces presented as a continuous programme.

She performed Tempo di Minuetto (3rd movement from Sonata in A) by Martinez (piece 1), Calme du soir (No. 2 from 10 petits morceaux, Op. 94) by Moszkowski (piece 2), New Kid (No. 9 from The Christopher Norton Jazz Preludes Collection) by Christopher Norton (piece 3) & Pop Bossa (No. 5 from Latin Preludes 2) by Christopher Norton (piece 4).

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥.

𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸! It is evident in all the exams that you have completed in four years: Performance Grade 4 (2021), Performance Grade 5 (2022), Music Theory Grade 5 (2023), Performance Grade 6 (2023) and Performance Grade 7 (2024)!

Bulletin, Cultural

We’re so very proud of our Union High School Primary Department music students who completed their 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗔𝗠𝗦 this year.

(𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴.)

The three latest learners to successfully pass their exams are:
• 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗯𝗮: Classical Debut Exam: Distinction, 90%. (Recognized for her amazing notational and rhythmic accuracy!)
• 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸: Contemporary Debut Exam: Distinction, 91%. (Praised for his confident technical skills and perfect sync.)
• 𝗧𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿: Grade 1 Classical Exam: Distinction, 93% (The adjudicator noted her impressive command of the instrument and excellent coordination.)

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤! 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥!